


My Head Is Underwater

by YuugiMuffin



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M, Mermaids, rivalshipping - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:41:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 32,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24543229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuugiMuffin/pseuds/YuugiMuffin
Summary: Yuugi falls off the side of a cruise ship and miraculously finds himself alive... Only to discover he's trapped alone on an island.
Relationships: Kaiba Seto/Mutou Yuugi
Comments: 43
Kudos: 85





	1. One

  
  


The sea breeze rushed into Yuugi’s face, whipping his hair around and snapping it against his eyes and lips, which were tightly shut but still ended up with blonde bangs between them. He pushed his face further into the air, enjoying the coolness and the tingling sensation as droplets picked up from the ocean splattered against his skin.

“Careful, Yuug.” Honda warned mildly, and Yuugi mostly ignored him. He’d be fine. 

The ship wasn’t moving  _ that _ quickly, and he wasn’t leaning very far out, anyway. He just wanted the wind in his face, wanted the freedom of flying that he couldn’t get anywhere else. Why would he have gone on the cruise with his friends if not to enjoy himself?

Suddenly, rough, warm hands shoved against his shoulders, tilting him slightly over the railing. His eyes flew open, and he gazed down at the rapid, foamy water below. He curled his fingers around the metal barrier and caught his breath, shaking even as his friends pulled him back to safety and laughed at their slightly cruel joke.

“Not nice.” Honda scolded, but he was grinning.

Jounouchi flicked his blonde hair out of his eyes, “Was funny, though. Did you hear that gasp?”

“Not funny.” Yuugi pouted. He slowly, carefully let go of the railing. His fingers were sore from gripping it so tightly. “Tell me to be careful and then don’t even give me the chance to do so.” He gave a light, playful scoff, and Jounouchi wrapped a thick arm around his neck, laughing.

“It was totally funny, we’ll do it to Honda next time, so you can see.”

Yuugi laughed along with his friends, though he didn’t think he’d enjoy seeing either of  _ them _ get scared like that. He didn’t mind, though. This was how they worked, and he loved them regardless of, or maybe even  _ because _ of their antics. 

He looked away from the bright lights of the nearby corridor, and instead to the sky. The stars twinkled up above, shining and winking and taunting. They were brighter and closer than he’d ever seen before. It almost felt like he could reach out and grab one.

“Hey, let’s go see if the buffet is closed down yet.” Jounouchi said.

“Yeah, do that.” Yuugi said absently, still gazing into the night, tracing constellations with his eyes. “I’ll join you in a bit. I want to enjoy the ocean for a bit before bed.”

“What was that?” Jounouchi leaned into his face and tilted his head, “‘S loud out here.”

Yuugi met his eyes and spoke up, “I said go without me.” 

“Alright, man, but come in soon.” Honda gave him a slightly concerned look, “Don’t want you getting a cold.”

The duo left, nudging each other and laughing about something Yuugi hadn’t heard, and Yuugi watched them for a moment before leaning over the railing again and watching the rapid water crash against the side of the boat. It turned white as it clashed with the ship, and then relaxed back into its swirling black as it was deflected. 

The stars waved at him from the ocean, their reflections rippling and swirling as they sat in the water, even closer than before. Yuugi tilted himself over the metal bar, one foot still touching the wooden floor as he humoured his impossible wishes by reaching for the flashes of light.

His eyes grew wide when he slightly saw his own reflection, thin and wrinkled, in the dark waters. It was like a whisper, barely there and tantalizing. He wanted to see himself in the sea. 

It was dangerous, and oh-so-stupid, but Yuugi climbed onto the railing and tilted further over the side of the boat anyway. The top bar pressed into his stomach as he curled over it, and he dared to let go with both hands, instead of just one. 

The harsh wind balanced him as he leaned forward, keeping him steady as he pressed against it. It felt unnatural. The rough air looped around his outstretched arms, holding him with a nonexistent touch and offering the same freedoms as before. It felt like flying.

Yuugi closed his eyes against the blasts and let it massage his face again before he looked down at the water. Surely he could see more than just the purple tips of his hair, now?

He looked again, down at the rushing water, and saw a breath of his own face, which looked stark white against the dark ocean. Behind his head were hints of the lights on the ship, giving off just enough of a glow to let him stare at the distorted version of himself beneath the surface. He reached a hand straight out, waved at himself, and smiled when his reflection waved back.

And then the wind grew barely calmer, just for a moment, and stopped pushing him back towards safety. It kicked back up quickly, but by that point was too late. Yuugi shrieked in surprise and terror as he toppled over the side of the ship and crashed into the sea.

The ocean roared in his ears, which were fuzzy from the water in them, and from the sudden pressure change. He sank slightly before kicking wildly and dragging himself back to the surface. The ship was louder down here than it had been when he was on it. The engine roared right in front of his face, and he choked on the foamy waves that spun out of the viciously whirling motors.

“Honda, Jou!” He screamed, though he knew they couldn’t hear him. “Help!”

When he was standing on it, it was a slow movement, but from his spot in the ocean, the boat rushed away, not even giving him a chance to chase it and possibly save himself.

Yuugi kicked his legs wildly to keep himself afloat, but it felt pointless. It was night, and he was in the middle of the ocean. By the time his friends realized how long he’d been outside, it would be too late.

The water was cold, and he was soon racked by furious shivers, which didn’t help in the slightest.

Perhaps there was a rock nearby? Why  _ would _ there be, especially so close to the path the ship was taking? But it was better than sinking, or floating forever, or… meeting a shark.

It was all so pointless, and he was stupid. He was so stupid, for leaning over the edge  _ after being warned _ . Now, he was lost in the ocean, and there was nothing that could save him. People didn’t actually survive the journey to a deserted island, that was just something from movies. He was… doomed, with only his thoughts to keep him sane until he had nothing, and his thoughts were doing a bad job already.

He ached from hitting the water. He would be bruised, but aside from the cold and the dull thrum that pulsated through his entire body, he didn’t seem to be hurt. Or maybe that was the shock talking.

Yuugi grew tired quickly. His legs were sore, and the constant battering of waves dragging him under and crashing against him was definitely not helping. He didn’t want to give up, he wanted to be saved, but… he was so tired. So, so tired. He was cold, he was scared, and everything hurt, more and more the longer he was in the water. Wasn’t the cold supposed to make him numb? It felt more like it was accentuating every inch of him that had hit the water in the first place.

His legs were exhausted, and it became even more of a struggle to keep himself above the surface, to keep himself breathing. This… this was  _ awful _ .

Suddenly, warmth curled around his abdomen and chest, and Yuugi knew he was done for. If you suddenly felt hot, didn’t that mean you were too cold to keep going? He’d seen something about that on a stupid cartoon when he was younger.

But the warmth wasn’t  _ hot _ , it felt more like… arms? It felt like arms were surrounding him, though they were quite a bit larger than any human he’d encountered. Maybe it was a God. He wondered which one. One of the Egyptian ones his grandfather had taught him about, maybe. 

He hoped it was Osiris. He’d always been Yuugi’s favourite.

The sun beat down on his face, and Yuugi groaned, covering his eyes with his forearm. Sand fell from his arm and trickled onto his face. He sneezed at the sensation, and then sat up groggily. Why was he outside, on the beach? He should have…

He should have been on the boat. He should have been on the boat, but he’d fallen off and died. 

And now he was… alive? Was he alive, or had he made it to some kind of afterlife? 

The sea sparkled in front of him, blinding because of the reflection of the sun. Yuugi pinched himself, and it hurt. It hurt a lot, actually, and he grimaced when he saw the purple bruises on his arms. He figured the rest of him didn’t look much better.

With shaking limbs, Yuugi picked himself off of the ground. He dusted the sand off of his still-damp clothing as best he could and looked around. Had he… actually… made it to a deserted island? Impossible.

And yet…

He didn’t like the way his clothing stuck to his skin, but it was protection from the sun, and would hopefully keep him cool the longer the day went on, so he didn’t complain. How could he? He was  _ alive _ .

Yuugi gazed at the cluster of trees a short walk away. Would it be better to wait in the shade? Were there animals hidden in the tiny jungle? He didn’t know. 

His throat was raw, from the salt water he’d inhaled last night and from thirst. Was there fruit nearby? He didn’t know how safe a river or pond might be. 

Honestly, he didn’t know much.

But he was thirsty, and it was hot, so he hurried to the trees and looked around. There were leafy plants all around, and the trees were tall. He didn’t see any fruit. Damn. 

Did he risk going further in, to maybe find and risk a stream…?

First, Yuugi figured he’d check the entire outer edge of the forest. If his luck held strong, maybe there’d be a resort on the other side.

He doubted it.

While he wasn’t lucky enough to find other humans, let alone anyone with a private mansion, he  _ did _ come across a cluster of what appeared to be coconut trees. His tongue was dry and sandpapery in his mouth, and it was truly a wonderful sight to see. He scurried over to a tree and looked up. It was heavy with the fruit, and Yuugi quickly snatched one off of the ground and backed away. He didn’t want one to drop and hit him.

Yuugi sat cross-legged on the ground and looked at the large brown object. It would be… difficult to break into. Yuugi got back up and looked around for a rock. His hands were shaking when he finally found one that might work. Damn. It had only been a few hours since he’d woken up. Had he been asleep for a long time?

Yuugi returned to his coconut and did his best to tear through the thick shell. Beneath the husk would be a second shell, but it was much thinner. He figured he’d work on step one, first, and step one was  _ getting _ to that second shell.

It took some time, and his arms were weak by the time he finished, but eventually he had scraped and peeled away most of the outer armour. The second shell would be easier. Just one crack, and he’d be able to drink the water inside… 

It was stupid, but he took a moment to scrape away some of the brown fuzz, until there was a bare patch on the coconut. Then, he simply slammed the rock as harshly as possible into the shell. It made a terrible sound, but a break formed in the woody skin, and when Yuugi tilted the fruit, a bead of liquid slithered out. He quickly righted the coconut and hit it again, just so he could get more than a singular drop at a time. 

The fissure grew, and Yuugi hurried to press his mouth to the crack and drink the sweet coconut juice. It was warm, and there didn’t seem to be much inside, but god, it was so delicious. He’d never tasted something so wonderful in his life.

All too soon, the coconut was empty, but his throat had stopped throbbing with pain, so he counted it as a win.

Yuugi got up, still holding his coconut, and then simply dropped it onto the rock. Gravity forced the fruit to split upon colliding with the rough stone, and now he had food, too. He carefully scraped some of the meat away from the inner wall of the coconut, and nibbled on a chunk as he examined his surroundings more closely. There was the beach, of course, and the jungle behind him, and the coconut trees that were grouped together to his right…

This was a nice place. Nice enough, at least. He had a better chance of not dying if he stayed by his new food source. Now that he’d had something to drink, Yuugi contemplated a shelter. He  _ could _ just sleep on the sand, and hide beneath the trees, but what if it rained?

Actually, rain might be a blessing, rather than something he should fear…

He really didn’t know what to do. Nobody ever  _ really _ thought they’d get stranded on an island. 

Yuugi sighed and went to get another coconut. It would be better to have one ready for the next time he was thirsty, and tearing the husk away would give him time to gather his thoughts.


	2. Two

Oh how Yuugi wished he’d let his mother sign him up for Scouts as a child. He really had no idea what he was doing- Not how to build a shelter, or hunt for food, or create fire. He’d  _ barely _ managed to find something to drink.

But he would try, anyway. Of course he would! He’d been given a second chance, and there was no way in hell he’d be throwing it away. 

Yuugi gathered branches from the edge of the forest, both large and small, any he could find, and made a pile out of them. Now he needed… vines? Something like that, something to tie them together so they’d form a protective roof.

He paused to nibble on some more coconut fruit. It was kind of hard to eat, being actually rather dry once the water inside had been drained, but he needed to keep his strength up, and food was the way to do that.

After his tiny break, Yuugi trotted back to the cluster of trees and looked around, but there was nothing except mossy trunks and leaves blotting out most of the sun. Well, at least there was shade. No vines, though. What else could he use as rope?

There was a splashing sound in the distance, different from the crashing waves that had long ago faded into the back of his mind, and Yuugi perked his ears at the noise. A fish, maybe? Or, even luckier, something man-made that had washed onto shore? He hurried out of the trees and scanned the beach, looking for the source of the noise. 

In the distance, just barely in view, was the flicker of a huge, silver-coloured tail before it went back under the water. A dolphin, then… Disappointing, but at the same time… A dolphin! He’d never seen one before. Maybe he could make friends with it, or something. Because that was a thing that happened.

As Yuugi scanned his eyes across the bright, golden shore, a spot of darkness popped out. He tilted his head curiously, and carefully headed over. It was a mass of seaweed, but it didn’t look like a snarled, rotten mess. Rather… it looked kind of like… a package…? Like someone had carefully wrapped the salty leaves around something.

He poked it with one finger, and, upon their being no reaction, carefully started peeling the seaweed away. After rolling the item a few times, with a long tangle of leaves falling away, Yuugi discovered that it was… a fish. Had it gotten tangled in the kelp and washed to shore after dying? But it looked fresh, and didn’t stink… And the seaweed looked like it had been done on purpose. Maybe it had fallen off a fishing boat.

Oh well. Free food, or something.

Yuugi gathered the bundle of wet leaves in his arms and brought it back to his sticks and coconuts. He would figure out how to make a fire… somehow, and then he would use the seaweed to bind his shelter together as the fish cooked.

How would he cook the fish…? On, like, a stick, or something?

He set the seaweed on the sand and went over to his sticks, gathering the smaller branches and making a small pile of them in a conical shape. 

There were a few ways to make fire, but he could only remember two. He had the caveman method of spinning a stick until time itself ceased to exist (he would not be doing this one unless it was  _ absolutely _ necessary), and then there was a fragment of a memory of a movie he’d watched as a child. He needed leaves.

Yuugi went back to the forest and grabbed handfuls of leaves off of the ground. The dead ones would catch fire more easily, right? He brought them back to his little camp and thought about what else he needed. A stick to rub against… a piece of bark, right? Put the leaves on one end of the bark, and then rub until they caught fire.

He went back to the trees, carefully peeled a chunk of bark away from one trunk, and grabbed another bunch of leaves, just in case. Anxiety swirled in his stomach, but he was excited, too.

Could he do it? Could he start a fire, brave the wilderness, and eventually be saved by a passing plane?

Hell yeah, he could.

He carefully nestled the tinder on one end of the slab of bark and crouched beside it. Now was the hard part. He’d have to grind the two pieces of wood together until the embers caught the leaves, and there was no telling how long that might take.

Better get started, then.

He got his stick and scraped it harshly against the bark, close to the leaves, but not close enough to knock them away. It took a while. A long, long while. But finally,  _ finally _ , a tiny puff of smoke burst from the leaves. 

Air, fire needed air.

Yuugi blew gently on the leaves, shielded them from any harsh wind that might put the sparks out entirely, and then let out a soft shriek when the leaves were suddenly blazing.

Holy shit.

Holy  _ shit _ .

He’d done it!

Yuugi added more leaves onto the burning pile, and then brought it all over to his smaller mass of sticks. He put the rest of his tinder in the mound of sticks, and then put his little blaze against the tiny bonfire. After a few tense moments, the leaves started burning, and then the sticks, as well.

“I did it!” He crowed excitedly, and then got up and ran both hands through his hair, pushing his bangs out of his face for a moment before they fell back into his eyes. “Bigger. I need more sticks.”

Pretending that he wasn’t talking to himself, Yuugi grabbed branches from his larger pile and added them to the fire. It ate the sticks easily, and glowed wonderfully. Fuck, he’d really done it. He made fire out of nothing but some sticks!

Thinking back to the games he’d played as a kid, where he’d imagined surviving in the wilderness by himself, Yuugi dug a few sticks into the ground on either side of the fire, far enough away that they wouldn’t catch, and then balanced a larger branch on the v-shape they made when they were touching. Now he had to find a way to put the fish on the stick without it dropping into the flames and being lost forever…

Actually, it was a pretty big fish. He peeled the seaweed away from it again and then draped it over the stick, which sagged a little bit with the weight.

Don’t fall… Don’t fall…

It didn’t fall.

Yuugi let out a relieved sigh and then ran back to the forest to get more branches, and maybe something he could use as a plate. There were large, fan-like leaves on some of the trees, and he grabbed a few, both to keep sand out of his food, and to add to the fire. He made sure his fish wasn’t burning, and then went to get more large branches. He’d used most of them for his fire, and now he didn’t have enough for some kind of roof.

It was hard. He wanted to get some sort of shelter together before it got dark, but the large branches were few and far between, and he was wary about going too deep into the forest.

Was a shelter even really necessary? Yuugi knew he wouldn’t make one good enough to protect him from anything other than the sun, and he had the trees for that. Maybe it would be better to just save the wood for his fire, which was, honestly, infinitely more useful. 

Fuck, and he needed to let any passing planes know that he was there…

Shelter wasn’t important. It wouldn’t even  _ be _ a shelter, just a pile of sticks that had better uses.

Yuugi sighed and trudged back to his fire. At least his fish was done. It smelled… really damn good. He was starving. With two branches, Yuugi lifted the fish off of the fire and rested it on one of the big leaves he’d found. 

Now he needed more water… Ugh, it was never ending.

Night was approaching, and Yuugi grew more and more nervous the lower the sun got. His first actual night alone on this… island? Was it an island? It seemed like one. His first night alone on the island. He didn’t want to sleep, what if something got him?

But he was so tired… His eyelids were already drooping, and there was still light out. It had been a long, stressful day, and he needed to sleep. He  _ wanted _ to sleep, but he was exposed to the elements and so god damn scared.

He scooted closer to his fire and hugged his knees. At least he had the fire. It would keep him warm and hopefully ward off predators. 

Oh god, what if there were  _ predators _ ?

It felt like he was being watched, like eyes from all around were staring at him, waiting for him to let his guard down. It didn’t make sense, but it was unnerving.

If there was something dangerous, it would already have found him, right? He should be fine. He _ would _ be fine.

Yuugi laid down and folded his hands beneath his head, making a sort of pillow that wasn’t super comfortable, but was better than sand. If something was out to get him, it would have already. He’d be fine.

The sensation of being watched didn’t go away until he was asleep.

Sunlight shining into his eyes woke him again. Yuugi blinked groggily, and his face was hot. His whole body was hot, and the fire wasn’t helping. Ah, the fire! It was almost out! 

Yuugi hopped up and rushed to throw more branches onto the dying flames. He added leaves and sticks until it was blazing again, and then went over to the ocean. It was cold against his legs, and he sat down in the water, letting its coolness rush over him. That was better...

Today, he would get more sticks to spell out a message to any passing planes, and he’d try to find a better source of water than the exhausting method of opening coconuts that had hardly more than a mouthful of drink inside. 

At first he’d been nervous about the cleanliness of a random stream, but at this point he was willing to risk it. Didn’t they have medicine for that kind of stuff, anyway? Whatever. As long as he didn’t die of dehydration, right?

Yuugi stood up and shook the water off of himself. His clothes were heavy, but they were wet, and they would keep him cool for a while. He started towards the forest, and then stopped. Another pile of seaweed was settled in the sand. It looked pretty much exactly the same as the first, which meant it probably had another fish in it. Breakfast was served.

Yuugi carried the fish back to his fire and unwrapped it as he walked. Yeah, exactly the same… And it wasn’t rotten from sitting in the sun, either! Nice.

Yuugi set the fish on his branch and then, after making sure it wasn’t going to collapse, started working on opening a coconut. He wanted to get breakfast out of the way, to make sure he had energy to focus on… lunch? And being saved. Definitely being saved.

By the time his food was cooked, Yuugi had split open his coconut and finished most of the drink inside. He saved the rest for after he’d eaten. The fish was good, though it was oily and slightly burnt. Anything would be good, considering how hungry he was, but he was glad it was something that would have been tasty if he  _ wasn’t _ in this situation.

Yuugi finished his food, put the fish bones in a tiny hole he’d dug, and then quickly scrubbed his hands together, doing his best to wash the oil and sand away. He sipped the remains of his coconut water, wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, and then did the same to his forehead. Ugh, it was hot. He went back into the water and wet his face and hair. That was better.

Damn, he dried off quickly. The sun was… a lot. It would be better if he was in the shade.

Once he was soaked again, Yuugi hurried into the forest, and the trees were an immediate relief from the heat. It was still very warm, but at least it wasn’t  _ right on him _ .

Now to find sticks.

He’d picked apart most of the entrance to the jungle, and now he had to go deeper. Straight lines were good… right? He’d just follow a straight path, and then he’d be able to find his way home easily. That was how it worked, right?

Oh god. 


	3. Three

Water had not quite been acquired, but Yuugi’s arms were full branches that kept trying to tip him off-balance. He tottered back and forth until he finally reached his fire, and dumped the sticks on the ground, panting. He tossed a few into the flames and then started spelling “SOS” with the larger branches. 

It was a little messy, but it was better than nothing. The dark wood stood out against the pale, golden sand nicely, and the smoke from his fire would also be eye-catching. He’d be okay, soon. 

Satisfied with his work, Yuugi turned to the ocean, intent on soaking himself in the cold water and washing away the sweat and dirt he’d gathered on himself in the forest.

At first, it was just the endless blue sea, and then he noticed the face poking out of the water. It was more than just a face, it was a whole head, attached to a neck and a broad set of shoulders. Holy shit! There was someone in the water.

They were fairly far out, and bobbed steadily with the waves as they stared at him. Yuugi hurried across the beach and started wading through the water, intent on helping them to shore.

As he got closer, he heard a loud sigh, and then the person started swimming towards him. Yuugi paused before he himself began swimming, and watched as they got closer. Closer, and larger, too. He assumed they were a man, judging by the short hair, sharp face, bare chest, and lack of… um…

That assumption was  _ literally _ blown out of the water when they swam past him and settled on their back in the sand. 

Yuugi dragged his eyes down from the pale stomach and watched as the pane of the… not-man’s abdomen smoothly transitioned into a long, silver-white tail. Either side of his waist was adorned by flowing fins, which faded to a deep blue colour at the tips. At the base of his tail was a fin similar to the others but larger and less fluttery.

And he was  _ huge _ . Yuugi felt small compared to his friends, and to most of the people he met, but this guy… He would have been  _ at least _ seven feet tall if he was human.

And holy shit,  _ he wasn’t human _ . There was a whole mermaid just chilling on the beach next to him. 

Yuugi figured he was experiencing hallucinations, either from the heat, from stress, or maybe from that fish.

There was a weird noise, almost like speaking. When Yuugi frowned and tilted his head, the merman tried again. Yuugi recognized it as a human language, but he couldn’t recall which one.

“Um, hi?” He greeted awkwardly, “Er… You know human languages? J-Japanese, maybe?”

The man nodded and paused a moment before he answered, “Japanese, then. That was my next guess. Congratulations on your fire.”

“Uh, yeah.” Yuugi said, “Are you real? Am I going crazy?”

“Yes, I am real. Are you crazy? That’s not for me to say.” He flopped his tail fin dismissively, “Here.”

The merman reached a long (Really long! Like, abnormally long. Holy shit.) arm out and offered another wrapped fish to Yuugi, who accepted it awkwardly.

“Thank you.”

“I am working on getting you back to one of the main shores. My human contact is… Well, to put it bluntly, he’s stupid. It might be some time. I’ve seen you breaking those fruits for water. There is a stream over there.” He pointed to an area past the coconut trees. “I can lead you to it if you need me to.”

“This is too much.” Yuugi said, sitting down in the water and hugging the seaweed package to his chest.

The merman flicked his head, tossing his damp, brown bangs out of his eyes. “Right, right. Of course. Do you want introductions? Call me Kaiba, I guess. You’re stupid for leaning off of that ship.”

“Kaiba?” Yuugi recognized the name, but he didn’t quite remember from where. Someone from History class, maybe…?

Kaiba grinned, showing two rows of immaculate teeth. Human teeth. He was… pretty normal, from the waist up, if you ignored the gills on either side of his neck and the terrifying gashes on his left shoulder. They were very hard to ignore.

“You’re from Japan, or just speak the language?”

“I’m from Japan…” Yuugi answered nervously.

“Kaiba Gozaburo, do you recognize that? Yes, you do. Weapons dealer, kept trying to start wars, got in trouble for polluting the ocean, died under mysterious circumstances?

Yuugi nodded, unsure of and kind-of afraid of where this was going.

Kaiba’s grin grew more feral, and two long, wicked fangs appeared from his gums, hiding some of his normal teeth. “I  _ was _ those mysterious circumstances.”

“So you… took his name?” Yuugi tilted his head, “Why would you want the name of someone with so much bad history?”

“A trophy, of sorts.” Kaiba reached a hand up and examined his sharp nails, seeming bored. “Anyway, the stream. It’s about five flicks that way, like I said.”

“What’s a flick?”

“Oh, human conversions… I don’t know the fucking human measurement. Just follow me.”

Kaiba rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself across the sand until he was settled in the water and could actually swim. Yuugi’s eyes latched onto the jagged remains of what must have been his dorsal fin. 

He did his best to ignore it -it wasn’t his business- and got out of the water. Kaiba dove under the waves and disappeared, his tail fin flickering against the surface for a short moment. Uh… How was he supposed to see Kaiba if he was underwater?

Some ways away, a pale hand reached into the air, and Yuugi scurried towards it. Kaiba popped his head above the water and stared at Yuugi as he followed. Yuugi felt a shiver run down his spine. He looked kind of like the monster from that one movie, with his dark hair covering his eyes as he glared from the distance. 

Scary.

They traveled like that for a short while, with Kaiba darting away as soon as Yuugi got close. It didn’t take very long to find the stream Kaiba had mentioned. 

Yuugi sighed heavily. Water had been so close this  _ whole time _ ?

Kaiba swam closer to shore, but Yuugi met him part of the way. The sand here was littered with tiny, sharp rocks, and he didn’t want Kaiba to get hurt on them.

“Is it possible for you to bring your fire? This is a long walk for humans, isn’t it?”

“It’s not too bad.” Yuugi shrugged. It  _ was _ pretty far, but he didn’t want to deal with starting another fire, and he already had a pretty good setup next to the coconut trees.

“Do you need weapons?” Kaiba asked next.

“I haven’t seen any animals at all, except the fish.” Yuugi admitted. He frowned, “There aren’t even any birds. That’s weird.”

Kaiba scowled, “That’s probably not a good thing. When there are no small fish, there’s probably a large one nearby. I’ll bring you something.”

Very reassuring. Thank you, Kaiba.

“Um, t-thanks.” Yuugi said.

“Hmph. I need to get back. I’ll surface again when the sun sets.”

Yuugi frowned, “Okay… Thank you.” He said again, “And, um, thanks for the fish.”

Kaiba nodded and then backed up, which didn’t seem like an easy feat, considering his tail was designed to push him forward. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Kaiba dove under the water and disappeared, letting his fins touch the air again before he left. Yuugi could barely see his large outline, and then the murky shadow faded to match the dark water.

Yuugi sighed again and turned back towards his camp. Then, he turned again and walked over to the stream. It was clear and clean, rushing over smooth rocks and pebbles, and his tongue grew dry at the sight of it. Holy shit, fresh water. He set the fish on the shore, washed the salt off of his hands, and then cupped them in the stream, gathering water and raising it to his lips.

Damn, it was delicious. It was cold and sweet, and Yuugi thanked Kaiba again in his mind. Coconut water had  _ nothing _ on this.

Yuugi sat in the water and stared out into the ocean. Waves rushed softly around him and made wonderful, gentle splashing noises as they crashed against the shore. It was very peaceful.

Inside, he was not.

He’d met… a  _ merman _ today. Like, a whole mermaid. It had existed and been real and stuff.

This was all… unreal. He’d met a merman, he’d been stranded on an island, he’d fallen off a cruise ship… None of it felt  _ real _ , but it was.

And he was about to see that same merman  _ again _ . Soon. Whenever Kaiba showed up.

The water was getting cold.

There was a distant splash, and Yuugi looked up excitedly. He didn’t see anything except for the pretty reflection of the stars rippling against the ocean. Was Kaiba there, or was his brain pulling tricks on him? He’d just have to wait.

How long would he have to wait?

Not long. After a moment, the large body of the merman slid up beside him. The moonlight reflected off of Kaiba’s pale skin and made the water droplets on him sparkle. The tips of his silvery fins glowed prettily, a soft, shimmery blue colour.

“You glow in the dark?” Yuugi asked.

Kaiba flopped his tail lazily, and it slapped against the water. “It would appear so.” He said, sounding slightly sarcastic. 

Yuugi ducked his head. Was Kaiba mad at him? He hadn’t done anything! Well, aside from falling off the boat and needing his life to be saved, that was. Maybe that was why he was upset.

“Here.” 

Kaiba nudged a decently-sized stick towards him. Yuugi looked down at it, and saw that it was a short, spear-like weapon. He flitted his fingertips against the metal. It was cool and smooth.

“Thank you.” He whispered, glancing back at Kaiba.

The light from his fire reflected off of half of Kaiba’s face, making his pale skin glow slightly orange-yellow. The other side was stark white because of the moon. Pretty… Yuugi felt his cheeks grow warm, and hoped that Kaiba either wouldn’t notice, or wouldn’t care. Preferably the first one.

Kaiba blinked at him, expression frustratingly neutral, and Yuugi felt himself heat up more. Suddenly, he was grateful for the icy temperature of the water. Kind of. It was very cold.

Yuugi couldn’t meet Kaiba’s gaze any longer. His eyes were such a striking blue colour, and they were so intense. And they… kind of glowed? They glowed the same way his fins were glowing. It was weird, yet also quite wonderful. 

He felt kind of like a pervert, but he trailed his eyes down Kaiba’s body slowly, taking in everything he could in the low light. The pale bluish gills carved into his neck, the three-lined scar on his shoulder. He didn’t have a belly button, just a thin, toned abdomen that Yuugi couldn’t look at for longer than a second or two because  _ oh god _ . His scales started on the bottom of his stomach, growing more frequent as they went down, until the skin melted away and became a long, thick tail. It was easily three times as long as his upper body, maybe even four times as long, and seemed to shimmer the same way the ocean did, as if the stars were bouncing off of it. Maybe it was  _ made _ of stars.

Cold fingers curled around his wrist, and Yuugi squeaked when he realized that he’d reached out in an attempt to touch Kaiba’s tail.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to!” He flushed and tugged his arm away from Kaiba’s grip before clutching it to his chest. 

He could feel Kaiba’s gaze concentrated on him, and it was quiet for a moment before Kaiba said, softly, “Ask, first.”

“O-oh, no, I-” Yuugi fumbled over his words, “I didn’t mean to.” He said again, “I was just-” He met Kaiba’s eyes, and his mouth grew dry. Fuck. He was. Pretty. Inhumanely pretty. Which… made sense, because he wasn’t…

“I know.” Kaiba huffed quietly through his nose. “Most humans don’t have fins.”

“Most.” Yuugi offered a smile.

Kaiba huffed again and didn’t say anything for a while. The silence was heavy, but Yuugi grew less embarrassed the longer it went on, and eventually it felt safe to talk again. Kaiba beat him to it.

“Have you eaten?”

Yuugi blinked. He’d… had some coconut earlier, as well as the last fish Kaiba had brought, but other than that, no. He wasn’t really hungry, though.

“I’m fine.” He answered.

It went quiet again, and this time Yuugi realized how cold he was becoming. There were goosebumps crawling up and down his arms, and his chest was shuddering hard enough to make the rest of his body vibrate.

“Go to your fire and get some sleep.” Kaiba said.

Yuugi nodded, “Yeah… Will you be back?”

The merman tilted his head and blinked slowly before answering, “Of course.”


	4. Four

Yuugi stared into the water and watched for any abnormalities hidden beneath the rippling waves. He held the spear Kaiba had given him tightly in one hand, and a flash of silver caught his eye. He let out a war cry and launched the spear into the ocean, where it got stuck point-first in the sand. The fish darted away, unharmed but probably annoyed.

“What are you doing?” Kaiba’s voice asked from the distance.

“Hunting.” Yuugi answered sulkily. “Not very well, though.”

Kaiba gave a snort of laughter and pulled himself onto the beach. Yuugi joined him after grabbing his spear from the water. He set it beside himself and grinned at the merman.

“Good morning.”

“I suppose.” Kaiba said.

Yuugi resisted the urge to poke his cheek. “Okay, Mr. Grumpypants.”

“Do you want breakfast or not?” Kaiba sounded exasperated, and he half-offered the wrapped fish to Yuugi, “If you’re gonna be annoying, I’ll just keep it.”

“I’ll have to eat you, then.” 

Yuugi nodded seriously, and reached for his weapon. He was terrible at using it, but wasn’t  _ actually _ threatening Kaiba, anyway.

“I’m poisonous.” Kaiba told him.

“I’ll use your poison as a drug and get fucked-up-high off of it.” Yuugi countered. “C’mere, let me bite you.”

A rush of cold water splashed into his face, but Kaiba was wearing an amused smile, so Yuugi wasn’t angry about it. He laughed and pushed his dripping bangs out of his eyes.

“Thank you.” He stood up and accepted the package from Kaiba, “I’ll go put this on the fire, and then I’ll come back.”

He hurried over to his fire and draped the fish over the branch he’d mentally dubbed the ‘Cooking Stick.’ It didn’t cook the fish quite as well as he’d like, burning the tail and head and probably leaving the middle a bit raw, but it was edible, so he wasn’t about to complain. It was better than having nothing but coconuts.

Yuugi laid the long strip of seaweed beside the others he’d been given and then went back to Kaiba. The merman was flat on his back with his arms propping his head up. His eyes were closed peacefully.

“Careful, you might burn.” Yuugi teased. He felt like he was allowed to make the joke, because his own arms were growing dark from the light, and his nose was pink with sunburn.

“I know how long I can be in the sun.” Kaiba answered without opening his eyes. 

Yuugi sat beside him again and dug his hands into the wet sand. Kaiba was a very awkward person. Maybe it was because he wasn’t a person. On the other hand, he was very human  _ mentally _ . It was all quite confusing. Yuugi was just glad for the company.

The sand squished between his fingers, and Yuugi let the next wave wash the dirt away, not enjoying the slightly-crunchy sensation.

“Do many people know about mermaids?” Yuugi asked, “Er, mermen...? Are there lots of you?”

Kaiba sighed after a moment and sat up. He brushed the dirt off of his forearms and then directed his attention to Yuugi. His gaze was so sharp, even if it wasn’t necessarily angry. Yuugi had to look away.

“There are a lot of merfolk, yes. Most humans don’t know about us because humans are greedy and aggressive. In the past, humans  _ did _ know of our existence, but they tried to slaughter us for our fins and our scales and fuck knows what else.” He scoffed quietly, “We faded into myth and fairytale to avoid extinction.”

“Not all humans are bad.” Yuugi offered uselessly.

“Enough,  _ too many _ , are, so it doesn’t matter.” 

Yuugi looked up and saw that Kaiba was glaring at the ocean. His sharp, snake-like fangs were bared, and Yuugi felt a rush of fear trickle down his spine. 

“I’m sorry.”

Kaiba looked at him, and his fangs retracted before Yuugi could blink, “As long as you keep this -keep  _ me _ \- a secret, you have nothing to apologize for.”

He bent forward and flipped himself into the water. It should have looked weird, but the powerful curl of his tail and the confidence he moved with made the motion graceful. 

Yuugi hugged his knees and watched his silvery fins disappear into the darkness of the ocean.

Yuugi sat in the river and let the cool, clean water flow past him. He closed his eyes and leaned back, letting his head go under the surface. The water rushed through his hair and against his skin, cleaning away the salt, sweat, and dirt from the day. He rubbed his fingers against his scalp, doing his best to wash it without soap. 

When he surfaced, he blinked the water and blurriness out of his eyes, and his gaze landed on Kaiba, who was some ways away from the shore. Yuugi covered himself, praying that Kaiba couldn’t see him through the running water.

“Hi.” He said.

“Make yourself decent.” Kaiba turned around, giving him privacy.

Yuugi quickly got out of the water, and snatched up his underwear. He pulled them on over his damp legs and shivered. Hopefully, the sun would dry his body and clothing quickly.

“I’m dressed.” He called, “Uh, mostly.”

Kaiba turned around, eyebrow raised, “Mostly? Oh.” 

He floated where he was for a moment, looking apprehensively at the pebbly shore before swimming forward with a small flick of his tail. Yuugi hurried to meet him in the water. The pebbles were uncomfortable against his bare feet, but he assumed it would be worse on Kaiba’s tummy and tail. 

“Hi.” He said again.

“Hello.” Kaiba answered, “I finally found my Shore Contact. Stupid bastard. I’ve instructed him to speak to a human, and that human will be the one to save you.”

“Oh, your contact was another merperson?” 

Kaiba scoffed, “I personally don’t enjoy humans.”

Yuugi put a hand on his chest, “Ouch, I’m wounded.” He got a wry smile in response. “Thank you, though. I appreciate all you’ve done for me.” 

Kaiba blinked slowly at him and then his smile changed to a tiny but genuine one. He looked over Yuugi’s shoulder at the clothing drying on the riverbank. 

“Are you staying long? At the river.”

“I just want to wait for my clothes to dry.” Yuugi shrugged one shoulder, “Mm, why?”

Kaiba sighed and shook his head, “Just wondering.”

Yuugi went quiet, and then grinned, “You wanna hang out on the beach?”

He received a slow blink before Kaiba answered, “It is preferable to floating here, and likely better than standing on rocks.”

“You wanna hang out.” Yuugi nodded, “Let me grab my stuff, I’ll meet you there.”

Kaiba didn’t look amused. He ducked under the water and disappeared, flicking his tail in farewell. Yuugi hurried over to his clothing. He stepped into the river and washed the salt and dirt off of his calves, and then pulled his shoes on to avoid the hot sand. He gathered his damp clothing and started the journey back to his camp. 

It was kind of far, and part of Yuugi wanted to move everything over to the river, but the beach he’d originally settled into was easier for Kaiba to access, and he didn’t want to make things harder on the merman. Kaiba had done so much for him… It would be rude.

He also felt bad for being so slow, but, again, it was some ways away. He didn’t have a tail, he just had his legs. They were enough.

“Hi, sorry.” He greeted when he finally reached his camp.

Kaiba waved the apology away lazily, and Yuugi smiled softly at him before spreading his clothing out on the strips of seaweed he’d been collecting. It didn’t do much to keep them clean, but was a barrier for  _ most _ of the sand.

Kaiba was messing with a fish when Yuugi walked up beside him. It was half wrapped in a long leaf of kelp, and he was winding the rest of the weed around it carefully.

“Hi.” Yuugi said again.

“Fuck it, here.” 

Kaiba handed him the unfinished gift, and Yuugi giggled, “Thank you.”

Good thing he hadn’t sat down yet, then. He put it over his fire, laid out the kelp with the rest of the strands, and then returned to Kaiba’s side. He put his shoes on the beach, close enough that he could get to them before burning his feet, but far enough away that they wouldn’t get wet.

So much for his bath.

Oh well, the water was nice and cool against his skin, and the company was more than enough compensation for the sand under his knees and between his toes. Kaiba blinked at him, and he smiled back.

And then he frowned.

“When I go home… Will we see each other again? I… Maybe you don’t want to see me anymore, and that’s fine. I’ll miss you.” He said, voice growing more quiet towards the end.

There was a slapping sound as Kaiba beat the lower half of his tail against a wave, “It might… be too dangerous. You have to understand, I can’t risk myself or… I can’t risk it.”

Yuugi met his gaze and nodded. “Of course not. Is there a way we can… Maybe we can send messages to each other? I don’t…” He blushed, “I don’t want to lose you. It’s not just the fish talking, I really enjoy your company, and you as a person. Er, well, not-”

Kaiba chuckled softly, “I get it. I enjoy you, too, Yuugi.”

Yuugi nudged him gently, “Maybe there’s a private beach somewhere. A place that nobody goes.”

“Maybe.” Kaiba answered.

Maybe indeed.


	5. Five

The sand beat into his face, and thunder crackled overhead, jolting Yuugi out of his sleep. He cried out in surprise and sat up, looking around frantically. Was it a thunderstorm? A tornado?

No.

It was… a helicopter.

He stared at the machine as it landed in the sand. The blades spun dangerously, kicking dirt up. Yuugi held an arm up to shield his eyes, and whimpered in dismay when he saw that the dirt had put his fire out. It didn’t really matter now, though, did it? He was being rescued.

Yuugi snatched up the spear Kaiba had given him and clutched it to his chest with one hand, watching as a few people dropped out of the vehicle and jogged towards them. He met them halfway, glad that he was already dressed.

“How the hell did you get all the way out here?” One of them asked loudly.

Yuugi shrugged helplessly. “I just… woke up on the beach.” He answered, raising his voice over the deafening roar of the whirling blades.

“Let’s get you home, kid.”

He followed them back to the helicopter and narrowed his eyes when someone reached for his weapon. It was a gift, and if he gave it up, he’d never get it back. He held it more tightly, and the man backed away. Another man took his place and deftly buckled him into his seat. A pair of headphones were settled over his ears, and he could hear voices coming through the speakers. 

“We’re taking you to the hospital in Domino City. Just sit tight, you’ll be home in a flash.”

He recognized suddenly that they were all speaking Japanese. How much information did they have? Probably a lot, his friends  _ had _ to have noticed he went missing. 

They had probably assumed he was dead, though. Was this Kaiba’s doing?  _ He _ spoke Japanese. Maybe the human he’d given the information to put two and two together?

He didn’t bother with the tiny details. All that mattered was that he was going home.

Yuugi leaned over a bit to look at the ocean as the helicopter rose into the air. Sand whirled around them, but it became less of a problem the higher they got. His eyes landed on a silvery mass beneath the surface of the water. 

Kaiba.

The merman waved the fins at the end of his tail at him, letting them breach the water for a moment so that he could see. Yuugi felt tears form in the corners of his eyes. That was a goodbye.

He didn’t want it to be a goodbye.

The flight was long, and Yuugi was anxious the whole time. His stomach churned when he looked out at the sky and the ground below, so he did his best to stare at the back of the seat in front of him. 

He was offered a few different drinks, and accepted the plain water eagerly. It had been less than two weeks, but he was nervous about how his body would react to the sugary soda. The water was delicious.

He recognized Domino immediately. The city, the park, the old Kaiba skyscraper. They landed on the roof of the hospital, and someone started unbuckling Yuugi’s belts for him. He could have done it himself, but he felt his mind slipping, so it probably would have taken… forever. He didn’t want to do any work.

They helped him out of the helicopter, and he clung to Kaiba’s spear as he was led into the building. Someone ushered him into an elevator, and then he was brought to a white room. Everything was clean and sterile. He felt gross in comparison.

“Can I shower?” He asked.

“We need to give you a check up, first.” A nurse answered.

She was quick to check his ears, nose, eyes, and throat. A cold stethoscope was pressed to his chest and back for a few moments, and then she sat him in a chair beside the bed.

“I’m going to draw your blood now, is that okay?”

Yuugi nodded slowly. He held his arm out, and she tied a thick band around his arm. It squeezed his bicep uncomfortably, but he ignored it, staring at one of the walls blankly. A clean, icy sensation dragged against his skin for a few seconds, and then there was a quick pinch. He tried not to flinch or clench his fist. Hurting himself now, over something so little, would be stupid, even if it was an accident.

“All done.” The nurse said after a few moments. She pulled the needle away, pressed a cotton swab to the inside of his arm, and deftly wrapped it up. “I’ll grab you something to keep the bandages dry.”

She left the room, and Yuugi looked at his arm. He poked curiously at the purple bandage, and wrinkled his nose at the slight sting that came from the action. Don’t do that, then. 

He turned his attention to the spear clenched in his fist. It was still sharp. He touched the tip carefully, being gentle enough that it didn’t cut him, and then looked up when the nurse returned.

She glanced at his weapon curiously, but stayed quiet as she wrapped a clear, plasticy film around his elbow joint.

“You should be able to shower without getting your bandages wet. We can take them off in a bit. Do you think you’ll need help?”

“I’m okay.” Yuugi answered. He stood up and looked around the room. There were two doors, the one he’d come through and one that was closed. He went to that one, assuming that the bathroom lay behind it.

“I’ll be right outside. Call if you need me.” She instructed. “A towel and gown should be in there for you already.”

He nodded once and closed the door behind himself.

It was quiet in the bathroom, but that was unnerving in its own right. The pristine walls, sink, toilet, and flooring made his head spin. It was all very bright. 

He rested his spear on the counter and stripped off his dirty clothing. He needed to shower. He needed to be clean, like the hospital was.

The water was wonderfully warm. He leaned his head against the wall and let it rush over his body. The river and ocean had been very cold… This was nice. After a few minutes, Yuugi stood up straight and dunked his head under the spray. It felt nice on his scalp, too.

Slowly, he pumped some soap into his hands, and started washing his hair. It felt gross. Rinsing it could only do so much. He was relieved to finally have shampoo.

He washed his hair twice and then scrubbed his body clean. After he was satisfied that all the sand and salt had been washed away, he went back to leaning against the wall under the water. It was still warm. It was wonderful.

He didn’t want to waste water or heat, though, so he turned off the shower and stepped out. The mat beneath his feet was squishy and soft. He wiggled his toes against it and smiled.

There was steam all around, and it helped to keep him warm as he searched for a towel. He found them under the sink. There was a stack of clean towels, and a second, smaller stack of papery dresses. He grabbed a towel and rubbed it through his hair vigorously, until he was satisfied with how dry it was.

Was it okay to take a second towel?

Yuugi grabbed one anyway. He dried his body off and then set it on his head to absorb the remaining moisture in his hair. 

The steam was fading, and Yuugi glanced at himself in the mirror. He still stood out against the shiny white of  _ everything _ around him, but at least he didn’t feel dirty anymore. Thirsty, maybe, and hungry, but he was clean.

His skin had grown tan from the sun, and was dark pink in some places. His shoulders and nose were the worst, but it didn’t hurt too much, so he grabbed one of the hospital gowns and put it on. There was a pair of slippers beside the door. He stepped towards them and then glanced at his spear. That probably needed to be washed, too.

Yuugi grabbed it and went back to the bath. He turned the faucet on and pumped some soap into his hand before wetting the spear and rubbing his slick fingers against it. Suds formed quickly, and he did his best to make the weapon shiny and clean.

When he was satisfied, he turned the water off, patted it dry, pulled his slippers on, and left the bathroom.

He needed a nap.

Jounouchi made throwing motions as he messed with Yuugi’s spear. Yuugi kept an eye on him, but most of his focus was on Honda, who was animatedly talking about the repairs he had planned for his motorcycle. He smiled and nodded, listening intently. He liked Honda’s bike, it was fast, and his leather jacket smelled nice. Honda just generally smelled good.

“Where did ya even get this thing, Yuug?” Jounouchi asked. He pretended to stab Honda, who responded by comically dropping his head onto Yuugi’s legs.

Yuugi ran his fingers through Honda’s fluffy, spiked hair and thought about his answer. Nobody had asked yet, and he’d hoped it would stay that way. Apparently, luck was not on his side.

“It was… It washed up on shore.” He lied. 

_ Kaiba _ had washed up on shore, and the spear had come with him. Was it a lie? Yeah, probably.

“What a cool find. No wonder you’re so protective of it.” Honda complimented.

Yuugi smiled and tapped his fingers against the metal after Jounouchi put it down on the bedside table. “Yes, very cool.”

“How are ya feelin, man?” Jounouchi asked.

“I’m okay.”

Honda frowned slightly, tilting his head, “What’s wrong?”

He shrugged one shoulder and didn’t answer, plucking at the blanket. Honda grabbed his hand and squeezed, and Jounouchi went around to the other side of the bed. He crawled on top of the sheets and hugged Yuugi, practically laying on top of him.

“Everything will go back to normal soon.” He said. “It’ll be okay.”

Yuugi hugged back with his free hand, being careful of the IV that was still attached to his inner arm. He curled his fingers into Jounouchi’s shirt and gripped Honda’s hand in his own.

“Everything will be fine.” Honda agreed.

Yuugi nodded slowly, “Everything will be okay.”


	6. Six

Yuugi tapped his pen against his chin and sighed. He was supposed to be studying, but… gosh, it was so boring! He dropped his head onto his desk and stared at the paper before him. It fluttered lightly when he sighed again, and he spent the next two minutes blowing on it just to see it move.

Boring.

He wanted to go to the beach. 

Any normal person would  _ hate _ the beach after getting stranded on one, but Yuugi craved the feeling of the water around his ankles. He wanted to dig his toes into the wet sand and smell the salt and listen to Kaiba talk about fishing.

He missed Kaiba.

He knew they would never see each other again, he  _ knew _ that, but… If he went to the ocean nearby, maybe he could find someone to send a message for him…?

Yuugi sat up and grabbed his tablet. He searched for the beaches nearest to him and discovered that there was only one. Technically, there were two, but one was private property, and he didn’t particularly feel like getting arrested.

Excited now, Yuugi quickly finished his work and then shoved it into his school bag. He grabbed a different backpack and put some clean clothes, a hoodie, and a towel into it. He also grabbed some snacks from the kitchen, as well as two water bottles, in case he needed them. Buzzing with excitement, he zipped the bag shut and then sat down again.

He couldn’t go to the beach until tomorrow, it was too late in the day to go now.

What could he do until then? Eat, maybe, but he felt too excited for that. He couldn’t sleep, either, he’d just lay awake the whole time.

What now…?

Yuugi groaned and tapped his head against the desk a few times. Fuck.

Yuugi woke up and groaned. His eyes were blurry, and his ass was numb. He’d fallen asleep in his desk chair. His tablet was dead, too. He’d been researching mermaids all night, but everything was just myths and fairytales, like Kaiba had said. The only person who could tell him anything of substance was the person who had gotten him off of that island, and Yuugi didn’t have their name. He didn’t know anything about them.

Whatever. He had other things to do. 

He plugged his tablet in and went to the bathroom to take a shower. He’d be going to the ocean today, which made showering kind of pointless, but he didn’t want to make anyone on the train uncomfortable. 

When he was done showering, he got dressed in a simple t-shirt and shorts, choosing to leave his earrings and army of bracelets behind. He didn’t want to get them wet, or worse, lose them.

After he was dressed, Yuugi pocketed his phone, which, luckily, was charged, and grabbed his bag. He tossed it over one shoulder and quickly went downstairs. His grandfather was behind the counter of their game shop, and Yuugi headed over to give him a goodbye hug.

“I’m going on a little trip.” He informed the man. “I’ll be back… I’m not sure. Tomorrow, maybe?”

Sugoroku gave him a concerned look, “Are you sure, Yuugi? I don’t want you to get in trouble again.”

“I’ll be alright. I’m staying in Japan this time.”

Yuugi gave an awkward little laugh and made his way towards the door, “I’ll call you a few times, okay? I’ll be fine. Love you!”

“I love you, too, Yuugi! Be safe!”

Yuugi waved and then left the building. He walked to the train station and bought himself a ticket. While waiting for his train to arrive, Yuugi checked his phone, and he was surprised to find a notification on twitter from someone called “BakuRyo.” He opened the DM and nearly dropped his phone in shock.

_ “Hello, Yuugi, my name is Bakura Ryou. I’m sure you don’t know who I am, but I know who you are. I am the person who let the authorities know which island you were stuck on. I’m happy to hear that you’re safe now, and hope you’re doing well. _

_ “Yes, this does, in fact, mean that I know about… well, you know. Does the name ‘Kaiba’ ring any bells? A lot, I’d assume. Here is my personal phone number, please feel free to text or call me there, as it is more secure than twitter is. _

_ “I hope we can get to know each other! It would be nice to finally be able to talk about… yeah! :) Be well, I hope to hear from you soon. _

_ XXX-XXXX-XXXX _

_ Bakura.” _

This man was… very formal. Yuugi looked up when a bell chimed above his head, and quickly boarded the train that arrived. He found a place to stand, took hold of a nearby pole, and tapped Bakura’s profile.

He was young, probably Yuugi’s age, and had long, white hair. It was tied back in his profile picture, but a few photos he’d posted showed it hanging down to the small of his back. Yuugi quickly scanned the bio of his page, and discovered that Bakura was in school to become a marine biologist. That… made a decent amount of sense. If he knew about the existence of mermaids, he was probably keen to not only learn more about them, but possibly help keep them safe and living a healthy environment.

Yuugi followed Bakura and saved his phone number. He couldn’t text back at the moment, as he only had one hand, but as soon as he was able, he’d probably send a twenty-paragraph essay to the man.

He scrolled through his feed until the train stopped, and then pocketed his phone and departed with everyone else. It had felt like a short ride, because he’d been distracted, but an hour had passed. Jeez, the beach was further than he’d thought.

His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he’d skipped breakfast, and Yuugi made his way to a nearby cafe. He was tired from staying up all night, and excitement would only get him so far. Coffee and a muffin would help. Maybe two muffins.

The sun was setting, and Yuugi was glad. He’d enjoyed messing around in the water and building sand castles with some kids who had literally dragged him around, but with everyone gone, there was a higher chance of seeing a mermaid. Possibly. Maybe?

There was no way this was going to work.

Behind him, Yuugi’s phone chirped with a text message. He hurried over to it and saw that Ryou had messaged back. He’d left to have dinner a few hours ago, and apparently was going to study for a while. Yuugi wished him well and then sent a second text, asking if there was any chance a merperson would be on the shore. It was night time, and there was nobody around… How likely was it that someone would show up?

Ryou didn’t answer right away, so Yuugi called his grandfather. The man picked up after a few rings, and Yuugi greeted him cheerfully.

“Grandpa! I hope everything is going well with you. I’m doing alright.” He said.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Yuugi. Where are you?”

Yuugi chewed his lip for a moment, “...At the beach.”

Sugoroku grunted, “As long as you’re safe, Yuugi, do what you like. Where are you spending the night?” Concern edged its way into his voice.

“Not sure yet.” Yuugi answered, “I’ll probably find a hotel, or maybe I’ll just stay up all night.” He grinned.

“Don’t do that! You need your sleep. Do you need money for the hotel?”

“I’ll be okay, thank you. Tell Mom I love her. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight.” 

Yuugi smiled as his grandfather responded in kind and then hung up. He hugged his phone for a moment and then opened his chat with Ryou, who still had yet to respond. He scrolled through their messages, which started professional and formal, but quickly dissolved into the same senseless kind of texting he did with Honda and Jounouchi. Ryou was easy to get along with, and it helped that they had quite a bit in common.

Ryou liked playing games (specifically role-playing games), was in school, and knew about the merpeople. Yuugi hadn’t asked how he’d discovered them, but he was curious. 

They were planning to meet soon. Ryou had moved a lot with his family, being born in England and spending a few years in Egypt before settling in Japan, where his mother was born. It was lucky, really. What were the odds that they both lived in the same country, let alone the same city? In fact, because he worked with the ocean, Ryou was probably  _ nearby _ .

It made Yuugi excited. He loved making friends, though he wasn’t very good at it. In high school, people tended to pick on him. He was going to university now, but he didn’t live on campus like many of his peers, so he didn’t have the same opportunities to spend time with others.

It didn’t matter. He had Jounouchi, Honda, his family, and now Ryou. They were all wonderful, and they were all he needed.

Well, he needed Kaiba, and also one of the bags of chips that he’d packed. 

Yuugi settled down on his towel and opened the snack, nibbling on it while he waited for the last few beachgoers to leave. The sky was pink, and the stars were starting to appear. Once they were gone, he’d go closer to the water. The rocks further down the shore seemed like they might be helpful. He could get to deeper waters without getting wet. Well, without getting  _ soaked _ .

Ryou texted back, finally, and Yuugi was renewed with hope at his message. Apparently, merpeople liked to moonbathe. On islands like the one he’d been lost on, they would sunbathe, too, but those were few and far between, and had potential dangers.

Kaiba had been right when he brought up the possibility for a large predator to be hiding in the forest. After his rescue, a team was sent out to check out the island, and the report that ended up on the internet had revealed that the jungle was teeming with tree-climbing tigers. The birds had learned to stay quiet to keep their nests safe, and that’s why he hadn’t heard any.

Yuugi was glad he had avoided being mauled, but he was also disappointed, because tigers were cool as hell.

After a short wait, the couple that had been watching the sun set got up and left. Yuugi waited just a little bit longer, shaking with both excitement and cold. He tugged his hoodie on and stood up, stretching his limbs. 

There were no more texts, so Yuugi packed up his things and headed for the rocks, folding his sand-covered towel and tucking it through the straps of his backpack. It was hard to climb up the craggy wall, it was steep, almost clifflike, but he managed after a few tries. His fingers were sore, but he ignored it and jogged over to the edge of the rocks that hung over the ocean.

“Hey, if there are any merpeople down there, can you come up? I need to ask about Kaiba.” He called.

He sat on the edge of the rocks and stared down into the ocean, hoping to see the flicker of a tail, or maybe even glowing, but the dark water only offered the moon.


	7. Seven

Yuugi repeated himself a few times, but eventually gave up. There was nobody here. If there  _ was _ someone waiting below the surface, they would stay down there until he left. This was… pointless.

He wouldn’t see Kaiba again. He had only his memories.

Carefully, Yuugi put his backpack back on, and then he made his way back down the cliff face. It was easier than climbing up, but he didn’t want to fall and hurt himself, so he went slowly.

He started walking back to the beachside town, pulling his phone out to see if there was a hotel nearby. If there wasn’t, he’d find himself a 24-hour restaurant and get someone to drive him home. 

This had been a stupid idea. At first, he’d been excited, but that just made the failure all the more painful. 

He was lucky. There was a hotel a short walk away. He headed towards it, stopping at a convenience store to buy himself something to eat. He bought a bottle of sweet tea, as well, deciding to treat himself so he could ignore his pain.

That was kind of dramatic…

Yuugi sighed and put his food in his bag. He’d wait until he was comfortable and showered before eating. There was sand between his toes, and his skin felt gross from the salt water. 

The man at the counter gave him his room key with no trouble, and Yuugi slumped against the railing of the elevator as it rose to the floor he’d be staying on. He was tired from his journey, and from being at the beach all day. He needed rest.

His room was nice. There was a large, comfortable looking bed, a television on the wall across from the bed, some chairs, a desk, and a door leading to the restroom. Yuugi dumped his backpack on the floor, locked himself in his room, and hurried to the bathroom.

There were tiny bottles of soap on the counter, and a fresh set of towels in a cabinet beside the toilet. He stripped, dumping his clothing in a messy pile on the floor, and stepped into the shower. 

Cold water hit his face, and Yuugi gasped at the sudden icy spray. Fuck! He’d forgotten to let the water warm up. It grew hot pretty quickly, and Yuugi huddled under the shower, letting it rush over him and wash the dirt away. He squirted some shampoo into his palm, rubbed it a bit to make it sudsy, and then scrubbed his hair. It was greasy from the ocean water, but it felt nice to clean.

He washed his body quickly, not wanting to run out of soap, and then spent more time under the rushing hot water. He was tired…

Yuugi forced himself to turn the water off and step out of the shower. He grabbed one of the fluffy towels and wrapped it around his shoulders, trying to drown himself in its soft embrace. He shivered into the fabric for a while and then rubbed his skin frantically, wiping away the moisture. Cold water dripped down his neck, and he dried his hair, too.

It was still damp when he was done, but he didn’t bother making it perfectly dry, opting to let the air deal with it while he ate. He got dressed in his boxers and a t-shirt, leaving the second pair of shorts in his bag, and sat on the bed with his sandwich and tea. 

Ryou had responded to his last message while he was showering, and Yuugi grinned when he realized that the text had been sent only a few minutes ago. Maybe he was still available…? He asked Ryou how close he lived to the hotel, and the typing bubbles showed up after a moment.

Yuugi bit into his sandwich and smiled again at the mess of exclamation marks. 

_ “I’m practically within walking distance. You’re nearby? Omg, we can hang out tomorrow!!! Do you want to hang out tomorrow?” _

Yuugi typed out his response quickly,  _ “Yes!! I’m gonna go to sleep now, when and where should we meet? Goodnight, Ryou, sleep well!” _

He turned his phone off and groaned, rubbing one eye. His meal was only half-finished, but that meant he had some for tomorrow morning. He put the remains of his sandwich and drink in the mini fridge, plugged his phone in to charge, and turned off the lights.

The blankets were soft and wonderful and heavy, holding him and lulling him to sleep.

Yuugi sipped his coffee and scrolled through his twitter feed while he waited for Ryou to arrive at the cafe. The night before, Ryou had sent the address to his favourite shop and said they’d meet before lunch. Yuugi had gotten a coffee, but he hadn’t bought any food yet, wanting to wait for Ryou, and also not wanting to spend the rest of his money. 

He had some from helping out at his grandfather’s game store, and the old man was always willing to give him more, but Yuugi felt bad about taking anything from him, preferring to work for it. 

He had a decent amount left, but he didn’t want to spend it all at once...

Was the scone worth it…?

God, it looked really good.

Yuugi sighed to himself, got up from his seat, and went to the counter to buy two scones.

When he returned to his table, there was someone sitting at it. Ryou batted his eyelashes prettily and rested his chin on his hands.

“Hey, cutie, come here often?” He asked.

Yuugi laughed softly and handed him one of the wrapped pastries, “No, actually. How about yourself?”

“Gosh, at least three times a week.” Ryou answered. He patted his tummy, “Can you tell?”

“Mm, not really. Do a lot of swimming, do you?”

“Swimming in pu-”

“Don’t finish that sentence.”

They both laughed, and Yuugi settled himself in his seat again. He nibbled on his scone, and Ryou got up from his chair.

“I’m gonna buy a drink. Do you want anything? I see your coffee, but maybe you want more?” He tilted his head, and his long hair shifted across his back to hang like a curtain around his ear.

“Oh, I can take care of it-”

“That’s a yes, I’m buying you something!”

Ryou scampered over to the counter, and the cashier greeted him happily. She gestured to a cup, and Ryou accepted it happily. Had she made that as soon as he walked in? Wow, he really was a regular.

After a short wait, Ryou returned with two drinks, and he passed one to Yuugi with a smile.

“Thank you.” Yuugi said softly.

“Try it, I promise it’s good.”

Ryou sipped his own drink, and Yuugi nodded, lifting the cup to his lips. It was hot, so he tasted it carefully. Before he even got to the drink, a bit of whipped cream slid across his tongue. Fuck, he loved whipped cream…The drink was creamy and sweet. It tasted like black tea, but with milk, cinnamon, and… something else?

“What is this?” He asked, and then took another sip.

“Black tea, half and half, cinnamon, and vanilla syrup.” Ryou answered dreamily.

Yuugi grinned, “It’s good! I’ll have to remember that.”

It went quiet for a moment as they enjoyed their food, and then Yuugi spoke up.

“I stayed at the beach for a long time yesterday. Is there any chance…  _ they _ would show up there? How do you… talk to them?”

Ryou chewed his lip thoughtfully and then sighed, “What I do… to get in contact with my friend… is not…” He sighed again and seemed to contemplate his next words. “Fast, like a bandaid… It’s illegal. I trespass onto someone’s private beach. The guy is never there, so merfolk spend a lot of time on that beach. I can see if I can get in contact with Kaiba, but I’m really not sure I want  _ you _ to become a dangerous criminal like I am.” 

He gave a playful smile, and Yuugi nodded slowly.

“That makes sense… A private shore would probably be the safest place to visit.” He dropped his head onto the table and groaned, “Fuck, I’m never gonna see him again…”

Ryou reached over and gently patted his head, “It’ll be okay, Yuugi. I’m meeting with my friend tomorrow… I’ll talk to him for you, okay?”

“Thanks, Ryou.” Yuugi mumbled.

“And please get your face off the table, that’s gross.”

“If I promised not to do drugs or murder anyone, would you tell me how to get to the beach?” He asked softly. “I won’t become an evil rulebreaker, I swear it.”

Ryou went quiet for a moment, and then sighed. “I’ll start making you a map…”

Yuugi didn’t want to interrupt Ryou’s meeting with his friend, and his grandfather was expecting him home, but he was still slightly disappointed that he couldn’t go to the private shore for a while. 

He stared at his phone without seeing it, and got home basically without realizing he’d been walking. That was… dangerous. He could have gotten kidnapped, or something! Jeez.

His mother and grandfather were happy to see him safe, and he was happy to see them, too, but he was thinking about Kaiba. He wanted to see  _ Kaiba _ . He wanted to…

Did he have a crush on the merman? ...It made sense. The man was beautiful, and though he was a little awkward, he was lovely to spend time with, not to mention he’d saved Yuugi’s life… 

Fuck.

Yuugi chewed his lip and smiled to himself. Yeah, he definitely had feelings for Kaiba. Why else would he want to see him so badly? If it was because he was a merman, then wouldn’t any other merperson do the trick?

No way. It had to be  _ him _ .

“What are you smiling about?” Yuugi’s mother asked.

“Nothing, Mama.” He answered, swirling his noodles around with his chopsticks, “Just thinking about my weekend.”

“Don’t let your food get cold.” She warned, and he obediently popped a piece of chicken into his mouth. She reached over and patted his cheek lovingly. “You can trust me with anything, you know.”

“You can trust me, too!” His grandfather piped up, “You can trust me to make fun of you for it.”

Yuugi chuckled and shook his head, and his mother pulled away to let him focus on his food. “It’s nothing, really. I made a new friend, and I’m thinking about visiting him again, soon.” He said honestly.

“You kids these days. When I was your age, I never traveled.”

“Grandpa, you’ve been to every continent.”

“I’ve  _ never _ been out of this house.” He declared adamantly.

Yuugi giggled, and his mother rolled her eyes affectionately. The old man laughed softly as well, and then it softened to a grin.

“Just let us know when the wedding is, eh?” 

Yuugi choked on his noodles, “What? There’s no wedding!”

“Leave him alone.” Yuugi’s mother chided, “But he’s right, if you get engaged, I’d like to hear about it.”

They laughed, and Yuugi sputtered indignantly, trying to defend himself to deaf ears. He gave up after a moment and just shook his head exasperatedly, focusing on his dinner.

“I love you.” His mother reminded him.

“Love you, too, Mama. And you, I guess, Grandpa.” He stuck his tongue out at his grandfather, and the man responded in kind, making a silly face back at him.

“Boys, eat your food.” She scolded.

Yuugi giggled and slurped up a noodle. It flicked up and tapped him on the nose, and his mother sighed again, mumbling about how childish he was.

“I’m baby.” He told her, “Goo goo ga ga.”

“You’re  _ my _ baby.” She agreed, and then reached out to ruffle his hair. He leaned into her touch and grinned, and she cupped his face. Her fingers squeezed his cheeks, “Don’t you ever forget it.”


	8. Eight

Yuugi rested his head on Ryou’s table and stared at the wall. He could feel Ryou’s gaze on him.

“The full moon is tonight.” He said after a moment.

Yuugi hummed questioningly. What was that supposed to mean? Why did it matter?

“So there should be merfolk moonbathing.” Ryou continued.

Suddenly, he could put two and two together. Merpeople would be on the beach tonight! That meant that he could possibly talk to one!

He lifted his head and looked at Ryou, eyes wide, “Do you think…?”

“Kaiba won’t be there, but… someone who knows him might be. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to contact him for you. My friend… is not exactly friends with him.”

Ryou smiled wistfully, and Yuugi wondered if the two mermen weren’t friends  _ because of Ryou _ . It seemed kind of forbidden for merpeople to spend time with humans. Was Ryou’s friend an outcast? Would that happen with Kaiba?

Ryou seemed to read his mind, or maybe his frantic expressions, and soothed his thoughts quickly, “He’s a bit of a dick, and Kaiba is apparently hard to get along with for even the friendliest of people.”

Did that make Yuugi special? He hadn’t really had any troubles with Kaiba. Maybe he was special. Cool.

“How long does it normally take for them to show up?” Yuugi asked.

“I’d say 10pm.” Ryou answered, “The moon is up, but not quite at its peak, and there isn’t anyone around. It’s a good time for moonbathing.”

Yuugi nodded agreeingly. His heart was racing. Was he going to get to see Kaiba… eventually…? Like, for real? It had been… so long. 

Well, it hadn’t even been two months, but…  _ so long _ .

He chewed his lip and stared at Ryou, and Ryou gave him a sad smile, “You’ll have to go on your own. Is that okay…? I’d join you, but I have a lot of homework… A lot.”

“It’s okay. I can always call you when I get lost, right?”

Yuugi grinned cheekily, and received the same in response.

“Of course, Yuugi. You should get going. It’s not too far, but it’s not too close, either, you know? It’s already nine.”

“Right! Thank you so much, Ryou.” Yuugi got up and went over to hug his friend, who squeezed back easily. “I really appreciate it. You have no idea.  _ No idea _ .”

Ryou gave a wry smile, “I have  _ some _ idea.”

He left after a little while, taking his belongings with him. Ryou would likely be asleep by the time he would return, so he figured he’d just take the long ride home, instead. 

If he walked to the beach, he probably wouldn’t make it by 10pm, but if he drove, it would only take a few minutes. Neither was really optimal, but Yuugi chose to get a ride, even though it wasn’t particularly cheap. He didn’t want to put himself in a dangerous position by being out so late at night.

The ride was easy. His driver was quiet, and Yuugi didn’t want to talk, anyway. His leg bounced with the anxiety that was spreading through his whole body, but the trip ended quickly, and he could walk the rest of his nervousness off as he went to the beach.

He paid the driver and went into a shop to buy something caffeinated and sweet. There was bottled coffee, which sounded honestly amazing, so he got two of them and drank one on the pavement in front of the store. 

Yuugi put the second bottle in his backpack and pulled out his phone. He opened Ryou’s directions and began following them, being careful of his surroundings to both keep himself safe and to make sure he was going the right way.

The pavement turned to sand after a while, and Yuugi went in a straight line until the sand was more solid under his feet. Waves crashed soothingly nearby, and Yuugi turned to his left, following the waterline to a large rock formation. He traveled beside the rock, going back in the direction of the town for a bit, and then came across a chain link fence. 

There was a space where it was supposed to attach to the rock but didn’t, and that was how Yuugi got onto the private strip of beach that Ryou frequented.

His head was spinning with excitement. This was trespassing. This was blatantly illegal. Why was it… fun?

He was becoming a delinquent, oh gosh.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Yuugi hurried towards the shore and found a medium-sized boulder to hide behind until the merpeople appeared. He sat behind it and checked the time. They should be arriving… soon? Hopefully soon. He didn’t want to wait anymore.

He sipped his second coffee and smiled at the sweet flavour. This was good. He’d have to get more of them. It was  _ good _ .

Yuugi messed around on his phone for a while, aimlessly playing a game until voices alerted him to the presence of others.

Shit.

Holy shit.

Merpeople.

Yuugi put his things away and peeked around the rock. There were dark shapes on the shore, half in the water and half out. He couldn’t see them very well, save for one set of fins that was glowing faintly the same way Kaiba’s had.

He left his backpack where it was and crawled across the beach until he was close enough to make out the features of the merpeople on the sand. They seemed to all be women. None of them were wearing clothing, which was  _ terrifying _ , but Yuugi swallowed his anxiety and moved closer.

“Hello.” He greeted quietly, and there was a chorus of gasps. “Please don’t leave! I need your help!”

“Shit, a human.” A voice cursed.

“Let’s kill him.”

“Adrianna, what the fuck.”

“Oh god, please don’t kill me. I just need someone to pass a message to Kaiba. Please.” Yuugi begged.

“That fat dude that killed a bunch of people?” One of the mermaids scoffed, “He’s dead.”

“No, he means the king, dumbass.”

“Oh.”

“He’s a king?” Yuugi wondered aloud. 

He shook his head, and another mermaid crawled closer to him. It was rather scary. She used her hands to push herself through the sand, dragging her tail behind herself like some kind of horror movie monster. He did his best to stay put and not cry.

“What business do you have with him?” She asked, scowling. He could see her expression in the moonlight, and it was not a pleasant one.

“He… he saved my life. I got stranded in the ocean and he brought me to an island. And then he- um, he got me home.”

She sighed and rolled onto her back before curling her tail up and using it as a sort of chair. She wrung her hair out and then tossed it over her shoulder. “Fine. What’s your message, human?”

“My name is Yuugi.” He said. “I just… I just wanted to tell him that I miss him. That I…” He blushed and looked away, “Um. I still have.. his… spear? He let me borrow it. I never got to give it back. So I was thinking he could meet me here in seven days and I could give it back.”

It was a terrible lie, but it seemed to do the trick. The mermaid chuckled quietly, “Yeah, okay. I’ll let him know, I guess. Go away, now. Give us privacy. And keep your mouth shut!”

“I will! Thank you! Thank you so much. I- I- Thank you.”

Yuugi got up and bowed frantically before hurrying back to his things. He grabbed his backpack and took one last look at the trio on the beach. They seemed to be staring at him. A glowing tail raised and waved its fin at him, and he quickly made his way back to the gap in the fence.

He didn’t stop until he was back on the sidewalk, and then bent over, panting for air. The sand was kind of hard to walk on. It sucked on his feet and made his steps heavy. He called for a cab and finished off the rest of his coffee while he waited for it to arrive. His legs were dirty from the beach, so he made sure to brush the sand away before getting into the vehicle.

“Where to?” The driver asked. 

Yuugi gave his address and sat quietly in the back seat for the entire ride. Fuck, it was a long drive, and it would be expensive, too.

It was worth it. For Kaiba, it was worth it.


	9. Nine

Kaiba massaged his temples and glared at the man in front of him. Isono’s tail waved back and forth as he kept himself in place. The merman frowned more deeply and repeated himself.

“Master Kaiba, there are three Pacific mermaids requesting an audience with you. Will you see them now, or send them away?”

“Let them in, but tell them to make it quick.” He grumbled back.

The servant dipped his head and swam away, and Kaiba slumped against his seat. The large sponge was soft and comfortable, and part of him just wanted to curl up and fall asleep. He had business to attend to, though. He always had business to attend to.

The mermaids swam into the main room and floated in front of him, all three looking awkward and nervous. One of them, the one in the middle, wiggled her long, brown tail and pushed gently through the water. Kaiba blinked. An eel. Interesting.

“Um, hello, Your Majesty.” She dipped her head quickly, “I have a message for you… from the shore…?”

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, and his heartbeat suddenly thundered in his ears. From the shore? “Go on.”

She let out a burst of bubbles and clicked her razor sharp teeth together anxiously before finally speaking, “We were, uh… We were moonbathing on a beach that’s known to never have humans on it… But there was a human on this beach, and he… he already knew about us. About merfolk. He was  _ waiting _ for us.”

Kaiba sat up straight and narrowed his eyes. Was it Bakura’s friend? But why wouldn’t he just send Bakura? Was there a chance that...? 

“S-sorry, sir!” She whimpered, bowing her head low. Long hair hid her face, and the two mermaids behind her stiffened with terror.

“No, you’re fine.” He apologized, “Please, continue.”

“He said he needed to speak with you, that you’d saved his life or something? That, uh, that he had a weapon to return?”

“What was his name?” Kaiba asked. “Yuugi, right?”

The mermaid snapped her head up, eyes wide, “Y-yes. His name was Yuugi. He said he missed you?”

“Where? Where’s the beach you were at?”

“Mm, far from here.” One of the other mermaids told him. “Real far.”

“Isono!” Kaiba snapped, and the servant rushed over with a flick of his tail.

“Sir.” 

“Take this mermaid and have a map made. I want a path from here directly to that shore.” He instructed, “Take all three of them, and when the map is finished, let them have whatever they’d like from the treasury.”

Three pairs of elegantly groomed eyebrows raised in surprise, and the eel mermaid that had done most of the speaking narrowed her pupils into slits.

“Your highness, we don’t-”

“You have done me a great favour.” He stopped her, “Try not to bankrupt me, but feel free to reward yourselves.” Kaiba gave a wry smile.

She nodded slowly, “He asked that you meet him at the beach six moonrises from now.”

“Thank you.”

He bowed his head, and the three mermaids returned the gesture before Isono led them out of the room. Kaiba let his body fall back onto the sponge. It dipped under his shoulders comfortably, and he let out a long, thin stream of bubbles. 

“Six moonrises…”

“You’re meeting a human?”

“Mokuba!”

Kaiba shot up from the cushion and swam in a circle around the cavern. His little brother was laying on his stomach in the sand behind Kaiba’s seat. His stormy-blue tail fins rippled in the tiny waves that Kaiba’s movements had caused.

“Hi.” Mokuba smiled at him, his chubby cheeks growing more cute and round than normal. “Who’s Yuugi? Is he the human you saved from that big boat? Why are you seeing him again, didn’t he go home?”

“So many questions.” Kaiba said, voice mockingly scolding. He pulled his little brother out of the sand and settled onto the sponge again. Mokuba’s silvery tail curled around his waist in a hug, and pudgy little arms wrapped around his neck. “Yes, he’s the human I rescued. I’m seeing him again because… I’m not sure why, Mokuba. Because I want to, maybe.”

Mokuba flashed his fangs in a playful grin, “Is he your friend? Good for you, you finally have friends.”

Kaiba responded with a hiss. He squeezed Mokuba’s sides, dragging his claws against the soft, squishy skin of Mokuba’s stomach. His brother shrieked with laughter, and Kaiba smirked, tickling him until he was hiccuping out little bursts of air.

“I’m sorry, I take it back! You’ll never have friends.” Mokuba ceded.

“That’s what I thought.”

Mokuba giggled and finally caught his breath. “Are you gonna leave for a long time again? I wanna know so I can throw a party.”

“You can throw a party anyway.” Kaiba answered. “And that depends on how far away Yuugi’s beach is. Japan isn’t incredibly far, certainly not as bad as that island was, but I might stay there for a few days.”

“Are you gonna kiss him?” Mokuba dragged out the ‘i’ in kiss, and then screamed when Kaiba started tickling him again, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! You have no feelings and will never find love!”

“Stop forgetting.” Kaiba sneered. “I’m a big, scary monster.”

Mokuba nodded his agreement, “The scariest. So scary that you’re gonna cuddle me before I go to sleep, right?”

“Of course. Are you going to sleep right now?”

“Mm, I was thinking about eating.” Mokuba wiggled his tail fins against Kaiba’s shoulder blades. “Eat with me?”

“If I must.” 

Kaiba sighed dramatically, and Mokuba smiled, unwrapping himself and swimming towards the exit. Kaiba followed, pausing to tell one of the guards to let Isono know where he was. The merman nodded silently, and then Kaiba hurried after Mokuba with a flick of his tail.

“Do we have any crabs?” Mokuba flipped for a moment and swam upside down, and Kaiba couldn’t help but smile at his antics.

“I’m not sure, kid. We’ll find out, I guess.” He powered ahead, taking the lead as they made their way to the eatery. “What else do you want?”

Mokuba spun in a circle and darted forward, entering the room before Kaiba did, “Eggs, maybe. Red ones!”

Kaiba nodded slowly, and they swam to a merman that was settled comfortably in a patch of seagrass. He straightened up, rising from the plants when they approached him.

“My king, my prince.” He bowed his head, “What can I get for you?”

“Crabs! And eggs!” Mokuba demanded cheerfully. “And a squid.”

_ A squid? _ Kaiba looked at Mokuba curiously as the foodservice merman left to get their meal. He didn’t want a squid. Was Mokuba going to eat that?

Why the hell would he ask for a squid?

Mokuba took his hand and led him to a sponge against the wall of the cave. He draped himself across it and sighed happily, and Kaiba nestled into the sand beside him. He buried part of his tail in the ground and rested his elbows on the sponge. They dug into the squishy material comfortably.

“I didn’t know you liked squid.” He said after a moment.

“Okay, one; It’s one of my favourites. Two; I didn’t even get it for me, it’s for  _ you _ .” Mokuba answered. “And don’t say ‘I don’t want squid’ or ‘I’m not hungry.’ You  _ are _ hungry, and you’re gonna eat it.”

Kaiba sighed and shook his head. “Fine, Mokuba.” He massaged his temples and leaned against the sponge.

Their food arrived after a moment, and Mokuba eagerly dug into the pile of pink-orange fish eggs with his hands. He dribbled them from his cupped hands into his mouth, making a mess as the eggs that missed slowly dropped to the sandy floor. Kaiba plucked them off of the ground and put them back into the tiny seaweed container. Mokuba ignored it and dove at his crab, next. He yanked one fuzzy claw off and sank his fangs into it, tearing through the tough skin easily.

Kaiba watched half fondly and half terrified. On one hand, he loved that Mokuba was so sure of himself, on the other… He was making a mess and growling like a feral surface creature. His gills fluttered wildly as he ate and sucked in oxygen at the same time. It made Kaiba’s stomach churn uncomfortably. He already hadn’t been hungry, but now…

But he’d agreed that he’d have  _ some _ , so he tugged his squid more closely to himself and sliced a thick tentacle away from the body. Gross… Would Mokuba be mad if he just had the rest of the eggs, instead?

Kaiba pushed the squid away from himself, quickly swallowed the tentacle he’d selected, and then snatched the pouch of fish eggs. Mokuba didn’t notice. He was too busy digging into the actual body of his crab. Kaiba picked up a few eggs and stared at them for a moment before eating them. 

Gross.

He wasn’t hungry.

He returned Mokuba’s eggs and slumped against the sponge, waiting for his brother to finish his meal.

Mokuba barely seemed to notice that Kaiba hadn’t eaten the squid. He practically inhaled the thing, pausing to chew only when he couldn’t swallow the actual body whole. His eyes grew wide when he saw Kaiba staring, and his eating slowed to a halt. Half of the squid stuck out of his mouth in a rather comical way.

“Welcome back.” Kaiba teased, “Did you have fun?”

Mokuba carefully removed the squid, swallowed what was in his mouth, and flushed with embarrassment, “I was hungry!”

Kaiba chuckled and shook his head, “Finish so you can get some sleep, hm? When was the last time you went to bed?”

Mokuba scowled and picked at a chunk of squid, “Quarter moon.” He admitted, and then went back to trying to swallow his food whole, presumably so he wouldn’t have to keep talking.

“ _ Quarter moon _ ?” Kaiba stared, “Mokuba! That’s not healthy.”

“When was the last time  _ you _ slept?” Mokuba answered after a few moments.

“We’re not talking about me.”

“You didn’t even eat!” His little brother glared at him.

Kaiba smirked, “You weren’t complaining when  _ you _ got to eat it. And I had  _ some _ .” He shook his head, “Finish up.”

Mokuba sighed relentingly and dumped the eggs into his mouth. Some of them bounced off of his nose and chin and rolled away through the water. Kaiba rolled his eyes and started neatly piling up the remains of his little brother’s crab. Almost as soon as Mokuba was done, a mermaid rushed to their table and hurried to clean up the mess he’d made. 

Kaiba nodded at her and led Mokuba out of the cave and to the room they slept in. Before they were even halfway there, Mokuba let out a yawn and curled himself around Kaiba’s chest. Kaiba held him with one hand and swam through the water with the other, his tail pumping quickly to get his brother to bed as soon as possible.

“‘M sleepy.” Mokuba mumbled.

“Of course you are. You ate a lot.” Kaiba answered.

“You sleep, too.”

Kaiba sighed and rested the tiny merman on his soft bed of seagrass. He settled into the bed himself, and Mokuba curled up against him, winding his tail around one of Kaiba’s arms. Kaiba wrapped his own tail in a protective circle around his little brother and nuzzled his face into the soft, messy head of hair beneath his chin.

“Sleep well, Mokuba.”

There was a tiny burst of bubbles in response. Mokuba was too tired to answer verbally. Kaiba smiled softly and closed his eyes. A flash of purple and black danced across his eyelids for a moment before fading away.

He would sleep now, and in five human days he would wake up, deal with the business that had accumulated while he was resting, and then follow the map that Isono was making. 


	10. Ten

Kaiba swam back and forth near the beach those mermaids had told him about. When was Yuugi coming?  _ Was _ he coming? 

Was this a waste of time? 

He’d been swimming frantically for hours now, in wide circles and tiny ones, to the surface and back to the sea floor. Anything to keep his mind occupied while he waited. The sun was long gone now, and his tail was aching slightly from the constant movement. He hadn’t stopped swimming since he’d left home the day before.

Was this even the right fucking shore? He’d seen the map, committed it to memory, but maybe the mermaids had gotten something wrong? Maybe  _ he’d _ gotten something wrong? He’d been frantic to get here. Maybe Kaiba was on some  _ other _ Japanese beach, and Yuugi was waiting for him elsewhere, panicking just like he was.

He surfaced, breathing the air in through his mouth with a gasp, and looked over the sand carefully. There was nobody. The moon was high in the sky at this point, nearly at its peak. Was Yuugi coming? He probably wasn’t coming.

Maybe this was all just a nightmare brought on by weeks and weeks and years and an infinity of stress.

He went back to pacing, swimming from one side of the beach to the other and using two rocky cliff faces as landmarks. 

Kaiba flipped onto his back and powered through the water upside down, staring at the stars and the moon, watching them blur with his speed. This was… This was stupid. Had he been tricked? By who? The mermaids? Yuugi? Himself?

Had he been so desperate to see Yuugi again that he had had a mental breakdown and created merfolk that had magically managed to contact the exact human he missed so fucking badly? Was this beach even real?

He was going crazy.

He had to be going crazy.

He stopped his swimming and surfaced again, and he nearly choked on the cool night air at the sight of a shadowy mass settled onto the sand.

_ YUUGI. _

Kaiba launched himself through the water and used a wave to help drag his body onto the shore. Yuugi let out a squeak, and then made a soft, surprised crying sound. He got up and hurried across the sand before throwing himself onto Kaiba and hugging him tightly. Before he could think about it, Kaiba hugged back, squeezing the small human firmly.

“Kaiba!” Yuugi gasped, “I thought you weren’t coming.”

“I thought  _ you _ weren’t coming.” Kaiba admitted.

He sat up slightly, resting one hand in the sand and the other against the small of Yuugi’s back to hold them both steady. Yuugi shifted, making himself comfortable on his tail, and Kaiba couldn’t bring himself to be upset about it. He moved his hand from Yuugi’s back to his face and gently pushed a few soft blonde bangs out of the way.

“I missed you. I missed you so much.” Yuugi gave him a wide-eyed stare before grinning and pressing his face into Kaiba’s neck.

“I missed you, too.”

Kaiba could hear his own heartbeat thundering in his ears as Yuugi cuddled into him. He dragged his fingers gently through Yuugi’s messy hair and felt his own cheeks grow warm. What were they… doing? He didn’t like hugs. In fact, he  _ hated _ hugs, unless they were from Mokuba. Why, then, was this so comfortable?

Ugh.

After a moment, Yuugi pulled away. Kaiba found himself feeling simultaneously relieved and disappointed. He ignored it, and Yuugi nervously moved away, getting off of Kaiba’s tail and heading towards the bag that was resting on the beach where he’d originally been sitting. He returned after a few seconds with a shiny stick of metal cradled in his arms.

“Um, this is yours…”

Kaiba blinked at it, and then shook his head, “I gave it to you, keep it.”

“I- What? Are you sure?” Yuugi’s eyes grew wide again, “It’s like, fancy and stuff, though. Don’t you need it?”

“That was one my brother used to practice with when he was younger. It had been sitting half-buried for a long time.” Kaiba shrugged

Yuugi hugged the spear to his chest, “Oh. So I can really keep it?”

“If you want a different one, newer or longer or both, I can get that.”

“Oh, no! I don’t need that, I just… Souvenir?” He gave a tiny, awkward laugh, and Kaiba smiled lightly.

“A souvenir to remember the time you almost died?”

“Something to remember  _ you _ with. Not that I’ve been able to think of anything else.” Yuugi sighed and went to put the spear back in his bag.

Uh, what the hell did that mean? Yuugi had been thinking about him a lot? In a good or bad way?

Yuugi returned and sat beside him, digging his toes into the sand until his feet were buried. He hugged his knees and tilted his head in Kaiba’s direction, but said nothing. Kaiba didn’t know what to say, either. They just stared at each other for a while.

Finally, Yuugi spoke. Kaiba was glad  _ he _ hadn’t been the one to break the silence. “I missed you so much. I’m sorry if it’s weird. God, I know it’s weird, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I just… All I wanted was to sit here with you… just like this.”

Kaiba blinked at him before shifting his tail and sliding his fin between Yuugi’s ankles. He curled it around one of Yuugi’s legs and sighed quietly.

“I missed you, too. I thought… I thought that I’d bring you to the island, then you’d go home and that would be the end of it. I figured I’d get some good karma by saving your life. I never expected that…” He felt his entire body light up with embarrassment.  _ I never expected that I’d want to become  _ a part of _ your life. _

Yuugi straightened up a bit, and Kaiba could see that his cheeks were darker than the rest of his face. Was he blushing? Was it a good blush, or a bad one? They stared at each other some more, and then Yuugi let go of his own legs. He dove at Kaiba, curled his fingers into Kaiba’s hair and pressed their mouths together. Kaiba felt every molecule of oxygen he’d ever breathed rush out of him all at once.

Yuugi was soft, and he tasted simultaneously bitter and sweet. His mouth was open slightly, letting out tiny puffs of air every time their lips parted for a second, and his fingers were tight against Kaiba’s head, holding him still, as if he’d ever want to move away.

Kaiba reached out and dragged Yuugi across the sand, bringing him closer. He held Yuugi’s tiny waist and did his best to keep his claws away from the soft, sensitive skin of Yuugi’s hips. Yuugi’s tongue tapped against Kaiba’s lips, and he had to jerk away.

They panted gently, catching their breaths, and Kaiba dragged his own tongue along his fangs, which had slipped out from the tops of his teeth slowly as they kissed.

“Sorry.” Yuugi whispered.

“I didn’t want to bite you.” Kaiba answered, “I wasn’t being careful.”

He was still holding Yuugi’s waist, and hurried to let go. Yuugi rested a hand on his forearm, silently telling him to stay put. His entire body vibrated with nervous energy. Yuugi’s thumb rubbed in gentle swirls against his arm, and he blinked his big purple eyes, staring like there was nothing else he’d rather look at. Kaiba blinked back, and sighed through his nose in a huff. 

This was… embarrassing. He didn’t like the emotions swirling through his chest and through his mind. He didn’t like the way they threatened to break from his lips and admit themselves to Yuugi, even if Yuugi would never judge him for them. And yet… Part of him  _ wanted _ to tell Yuugi what he was feeling, even if he himself had just barely scratched the surface of what it was, of what it meant.

It was terrifying.

He let his tail weave its way through Yuugi’s ankles again, appreciating the warmth of Yuugi’s skin, and curled so that his tail fin was resting on Yuugi’s lap. He’d rather effectively trapped the human, wrapped himself around his lower half like a constrictor snake from the jungle. If Yuugi wanted to pull away, though, it would be easy. 

He didn’t pull away.

He  _ moved closer _ .

Kaiba stopped breathing when Yuugi sat on the widest part of his tail and hugged him again. His arms looped around Kaiba’s neck and laid loosely against his shoulders, and he pressed his face into Kaiba’s throat. Soft puffs of air warmed him, spread through his whole body, and Kaiba closed his eyes, wanting more, craving the heat. He wondered if Yuugi could feel how quickly his heart was beating.

He wondered if Yuugi’s was going just as fast.


	11. Eleven

Kaiba swam in lazy circles, looping over and over in the water above his throne. He stared at the roof of the cavern when he found himself upside down, then looked at the spongy chair and pale brown sand of the floor when he faced that direction, over and over, spinning in gentle somersaults while his mind jumped from topic to topic, thought to thought.

He’d see Yuugi when the sun set two days from now. He’d see Yuugi again, hold him again, spend time with him. It was a blissful change from the repetition of the rest of his life. 

Make sure Mokuba was learning properly, soothe any unrest or anxiety the people of his kingdom came to him with, feel too tired to eat, be too busy to sleep. Isono helped, of course. He took care of smaller problems the merfolk had, brought fish from other oceans when Kaiba couldn’t stomach the deep-sea crabs, spent time with Mokuba and made sure the tiny merman didn’t overeat and make himself sick. Isono tried, Isono helped, Isono did his best, but he’d never quite managed to make life  _ worth _ living.

Now, it was worth living, and Kaiba found himself counting down the seconds until he could make his way to Japan. He’d never wanted to leave his home so badly, and yet there was guilt there for that exact reason.

This kingdom had raised him. It had raised Mokuba. The people depended on him to take care of them the same way they’d cared for him. Could he really just leave? Even if he was coming back, what if something happened while he was gone? 

On the other hand, he’d been distracted even before seeing Yuugi again, and it would affect his work if it kept up. The last time he’d been hunting, he’d come back empty handed and embarrassed about the fish that had practically taunted him with their closeness. If he couldn’t hunt, then he couldn’t provide for his people, and that was…  _ not _ something he needed to deal with.

His gentle swirling came to a slow halt, and Kaiba hovered above his seat for a short while, a scowl forming on his face. With a single flick of his tail, Kaiba rushed out of the cavern and to a different cave. He curled his fingers around a sharp, silver coloured spear and then made his way out into the open ocean. He paused and looked both ways before deciding to swim towards the South Pacific.

“My King.” Isono’s voice stopped him before he got too far. 

He turned to face the servant, “What?”

“Where are you going?” The merman asked.

“Hunting.”

Isono frowned deeply. “You haven’t brought anything to carry the fish back with.” He observed.

“I’m shark hunting.” Kaiba corrected, and then left before Isono could argue against it.

He wasn’t in the mood to explain himself, and he didn’t want to be stopped, either. A whale shark would feed many merfolk, even if it wouldn’t last long. It would remind them that he cared about them, even if he left for Japan four times each moon, which was how often Yuugi had suggested they meet. 

_ “Once a week, every seven days. I’d come more often, but I have school, and it’s kind of expensive to travel.” _

Kaiba had agreed easily. It would soothe his need to see the human without taking up too much of his time. The sun would travel twice while he was away, and he would be home for the other five cycles. It might cut into his rest, but he had never done particularly well with sleeping, anyway. Nothing to complain about. Nothing lost, and so much to gain.

He powered through the water, ignoring the schools of smaller fish that blurred with his speed, but stopped at the sight of a large bottlenose dolphin pod. He looked around, tasted the water, and then swam to the group.

A large female whistled at him, and Kaiba shifted slightly, swimming in her direction before coming to a halt in front of her. He collected himself before whistling back, and hoped that he’d greeted her properly. He’d always had a bit of trouble with warm climate pods. Their accents were different from the orcas that lived near him.

But she didn’t seem offended, thankfully. “What brings you here, Deep Sea Prince?”

“Do you know of any whale sharks nearby?” He asked, choosing to forgo small talk, “I have families to feed.”

The cow turned around and repeated the question to her pod. There were quiet chirps as they discussed an answer between each other, and a calf broke away from the group to join the leader.

The baby clicked and whistled rapidly, and Kaiba blinked, his mind whirring as he mentally translated the sounds into something more easily understandable. Fuck, he really needed to get a tutor, if he was struggling so badly with talking to  _ Bottlenose dolphins _ .

“Closer to the coral?” He repeated, and the calf let out an excited burst of bubbles. 

There was a sharp, angry whistle from another female, and the baby sulkily made his way to the surface to get more air.

Closer to the coral, then.

Kaiba thanked the dolphins, and they parted ways. He headed for a colourful reef of coral. Near the bottom of the sea was a large fish, which was distracted by its grazing. Kaiba swam closer, and he had to bite back a groan as the shark grew bigger the closer he got. He’d forgotten how large they were. It would be a struggle to bring it home.

He threw his spear anyway. It spiraled neatly through the water and hit its mark, right between the eyes of the shark. Kaiba made his way to the creature, wrinkling his nose at the scent of blood.

How the fuck was he going to get this thing back? The thought of carrying it made his tail ache, but he went beneath the whale shark and pushed it away from the sea floor anyway. He wasn’t about to  _ leave it _ . 

What a stupid mistake to make!

Scowling, Kaiba curled his fingers around the spear and tugged the fish until it was upside down. He used the spear as a sort of lead and headed home, thrashing his tail angrily as it slowed him down and dragged him lower in the water. Great, now he had to go  _ up _ , too, lest he end up at the bottom of the ocean with predators worse than the ones he was used to.

_ The things I do… _

But it was his own fault, so he did his best to keep his thoughts calm. Nobody had  _ asked _ him to go shark hunting all by himself, though it  _ kind of _ came with the job of being king. 

His tail was sore already.

What. A. Dumbass.

“Master Kaiba.”

Kaiba blinked when he realized Isono was floating in front of him. He looked around and tasted the water. It tasted like home, though there was a saltier hint of blood as well.

“There are sharks following you.” The servant said simply.

Kaiba whipped around and bared his fangs at the three tiger sharks circling his kill. He cursed furiously, switching randomly between every language he knew, and threw himself at the largest of the sharks, claws outstretched. They scattered, headed back towards their own homes and away from his.

“Food.” He said grouchily to Isono.

The merman waved a few others forward, and they collected the giant whale shark he’d dragged all the way from the Australian coast. Kaiba made his way back to his cave, his fins aching. He didn’t complain further than an annoyed glare that scared everyone he looked at, but Isono knew he was tired, and instructed everyone to leave him alone without having to be asked.

Kaiba was jolted out of his sleep, and he gasped loudly, snapping his head from side to side in panic. There was nothing and nobody in his room aside from himself… and Mokuba.

“Oh, you  _ are _ still alive. Damn, I thought I was the king.” His little brother grinned playfully and wrapped two chubby arms around Kaiba’s waist.

“Very funny.” Kaiba said, resting a hand on Mokuba’s forearm. “How long was I asleep?”

Mokuba hummed boredly, “Just a few days. Did you really bring a whole whale shark home by yourself? They’re so big!” He waved his tail fins happily.

“Yes, I did.”

Mokuba squeezed him again, “Cool! When do I get to hunt sharks?”

“When you can swim away from them.” Kaiba gave a stifled yawn and rose from his soft, grassy bed. Mokuba spiraled away from him with a whine.

“I wanna go shark hunting!” He dragged the vowels out annoyingly, and it grated Kaiba’s ears.

“Eventually, Mokuba.” Kaiba agreed, “Is there any left?”

Mokuba shrugged one shoulder, “Dunno. Probably not. Good food goes fast.”

Kaiba sighed softly through his nose and nodded before swimming through the seaweed curtain that blocked his room off from everywhere else. Mokuba followed him, speeding up to lead the way.

“I’m hungry, too.” He said.

Kaiba blinked at him, “I wasn’t going to get food, I need seashells and other… pretty stuff.”

Mokuba swirled around and gazed at him with surprise and excitement in his purple grey eyes. 

“For what? For what? Jewelry? To impress someone? Who are you courting?”

Kaiba scoffed, “Why do I have to be courting someone? Maybe I just want some fucking shells.”

“You’re a liar!”

Kaiba flicked his brother with his tail, “You gonna help me or not?”

They swam towards the nearest shore. Kaiba knew that there would be discarded shells and smooth pebbles there. He hoped they would be pretty. Yuugi deserved pretty.

Yuugi…

Kaiba scoffed quietly, annoyed at his own softness, and continued swimming anyway. Mokuba spiraled beside him, twirling in the water and humming to himself. Kaiba smiled softly at him.

“Do you think this is a good place?” He asked.

“Everywhere is a good place if you know what you’re doing.” Mokuba said.

Kaiba rolled his eyes and followed Mokuba to the seafloor. They worked together to dig through the sand, and Mokuba quickly let out a triumphant chirp.

“Look!” He held out a pointy, twisted shell. It was a dusty white colour with darker stripes. “Is this good?”

“It’s lovely.” Kaiba told him, smiling. 

Mokuba showed his fangs and looked around for somewhere to put it. He eventually settled for just resting it on top of the sand, and they were both careful to not accidentally cover it with dirt. 

Kaiba found some of his own after some time. They were two halves of an empty clam shell, and were still connected. 

Mokuba gasped, “That one is so nice. Man, I wish someone would give  _ me _ a present like that.”

Kaiba stuck his tongue out. “I’ll find you something cool later, okay?”

“You better!”

Eventually, they had found enough shells and stones that Kaiba was satisfied. Mokuba had even stumbled across some purple shards of glass. Kaiba made sure to carry those, but Mokuba had begged to keep a few pieces, so they would find a home in his treasure pile. Kaiba grabbed a long strand of red kelp, and Mokuba took a couple for himself as well. 

When they got home, they curled up together and worked to make small holes in all of the shells, rocks, and in one large piece of glass. Mokuba helped to thread the kelp through each item, and Kaiba quite liked the finished product. He held it up and showed Mokuba, furrowing his eyebrows together.

“Is it… okay?” He asked.

“I can wear it and see how people react.” Mokuba offered cheekily.

Kaiba snorted, “Right, that seems counterproductive, because they’ll think you’re already being courted.”

Mokuba went quiet, and a pout slowly formed. “You’re right… Damn.”

“Language.” Kaiba scolded playfully. “But… seriously. If someone offered it to you…?”

“I love it. I’m sure whoever you’re giving it to will love it, too.” Mokuba said honestly. 

He curled his tail around Kaiba’s waist and smiled, and Kaiba smiled back. 


	12. Twelve

Kaiba’s index finger traced back and forth against the smooth surface of the glass he was holding. It had been sanded down and wasn’t sharp anymore, so he could rub against it without fear of cutting himself. He was glad; He needed something to touch.

Yuugi would be here soon. Well, he  _ hoped _ . Yuugi had promised…

Kaiba sighed and laid his head back in the sand. He stared at the night sky, and the moon was a sliver up above him. It was still bright, but he didn’t need it to see. He wondered if Yuugi did. Perhaps that was why he wasn’t here yet?

He clutched at the jewelry he and Mokuba had made and proceeded to lose his confidence about it. Mokuba had said it was amazing, and he had spent a very long time on it, but… What if Yuugi valued gems more? Maybe he should have gone to the treasury and collected actual jewelry with monetary value.

Yuugi didn’t seem like the kind of person to prefer money over sentiment.

In fact, knowing what he did about the human, Kaiba relaxed a bit. Yuugi was sweet and caring, and he would appreciate the gift. Kaiba was sure of it. 

He would bring something more expensive next time. Yuugi deserved it, anyway. 

He closed his eyes and relaxed for a short while, but footsteps crunching in the sand quickly had him alert again. He whipped his head around, glaring at the form walking towards him. The sight of spiked hair calmed his nerves immediately, but then they were on fire again for a different reason. Yuugi was here…

“Hi.” The human greeted him when he was closer, “I missed you!”

Kaiba shifted a bit, rolling over onto his back as Yuugi sat down beside him. “Yuugi.”

“How have things been? Are you alright? What have you been up to?” The questions tumbled out of Yuugi like a waterfall. Kaiba’s ears buzzed with the words, but he quickly caught up with them.

“Boring. I’m fine. Nothing.” He answered blankly. “Well, I mean, I… I did  _ some _ things. I did… I made. For you. Here.”

_ Stupid _ .

Kaiba looked away, cheeks filling with heat, and shoved his arm towards Yuugi. He felt a small hand touch his own and dropped the necklace into Yuugi’s palm. Oh  _ gods _ he was  _ stupid _ .

There was silence for a moment, and then light. Kaiba snapped his head around in alarm, and saw that it was shining from Yuugi’s fingers. He stared in surprise at the light. It was in a small black container, and it was  _ bright _ . How had he captured  _ light _ ?

“Oh, Kaiba, it’s  _ gorgeous _ .” Yuugi whispered. “You  _ made _ this?”

“I- ...Yes.”

Yuugi lunged at him, and Kaiba started for a moment, but Yuugi simply wrapped his arms around his neck and started pressing frantic kisses all over his face. Kaiba laughed softly, surprised by it, and rested his hands gently on Yuugi’s hips. 

“I love it, thank you, thank you!” He exclaimed, and then kissed Kaiba on the mouth.

His lips were parted with breathless laughter, so the kiss was uncomfortable and slightly messy, but Kaiba’s heart thundered strangely in his chest. He felt so  _ light _ . It was amazing. Yuugi… was amazing.

What was this?

“Yuugi.” Kaiba murmured, though he had nothing to say.

“Kaiba.” Yuugi answered. He pressed their foreheads together, squashing their bangs messily, and stared with his lovely purple eyes. 

Kaiba blinked at him and squeezed his hips very slightly. Yuugi smiled a soft little smile and pressed a gentle kiss to Kaiba’s cheek.

“Help me put it on?”

Yuugi sat back, settling himself on the thick base of Kaiba’s tail, and Kaiba brought the jewelry up to his neck. He pushed Yuugi’s hair aside and tied the two ends together quickly. It hung low on Yuugi’s throat, settling just below his collarbone. The purple glass shimmered in Yuugi’s light, and it matched his eyes wonderfully.

“Yuugi.” He said again, and lifted one of Yuugi’s hands to his lips.

Yuugi flushed with red, his cheeks growing dark. He tilted his head down and looked up at Kaiba through full eyelashes.

“Thank you, Kaiba.” He whispered.

“The pleasure is mine.”

Kaiba tilted his chin up with a gentle finger and sealed their mouths together the right way. Yuugi sighed through his nose and slid his fingers carefully against Kaiba’s arms until they were resting on his shoulders. Kaiba responded by holding Yuugi’s chest against his own. They parted and kissed again and parted more quickly the second time.

“I…”

“I love you.”

His face grew  _ hot _ . Yuugi loved him? ...Loved him...

“I’m sorry.” Yuugi apologized quickly, though he didn’t need to. “I know it’s early, I know we’ve only known each other for, like, a month and a half, but… I’m  _ infatuated _ with you. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Kaiba hushed him with a whisper against his lips. “Yuugi. It’s fine. You’re fine.”

He wanted to say it back… 

He didn’t.

It was so  _ hard _ . He couldn’t force his tongue to wrap around the words. They got caught in his throat and stopped his breathing. (Or maybe  _ Yuugi _ stopped his breathing.)(Tch.  _ Stupid _ .)

“How do you hold the light in your box?” He asked, breaking the silence.

Yuugi made a confused noise and then turned to look at his box. “Oh! My phone.” He scrambled over to the object and showed it to Kaiba. “It lets me talk to my friends and family even if we’re far away from each other. I can also take pictures and use it as a flashlight and stuff.”

Pictures… Kaiba had heard of those. He had one. It wasn’t of him, it had sunk to the bottom of his land while he was defending the water from Gozaburo Kaiba, and he’d decided to keep it as a trophy. It was of the disgusting man himself, as well as a younger human with teal-coloured hair. Gozaburo’s son, he assumed. He didn’t want to know. He barely looked at the photograph, though when he did he was always interested in the fact that the paper inside had stayed immaculate. He figured it was Gozaburo’s human technology and moved on.

“I wish you and I could take a picture.” Yuugi admitted. “I’d love to be able to see you when we’re apart.”

Logic warred with the disappointment in Yuugi’s voice. “If you really want to, I suppose you could…”

“Oh, no, it’s alright. I could never risk your safety just because I’m lonely.”

Yuugi did away with his light and tossed his phone towards his other belongings. He leaned forward and rested his chin on Kaiba’s shoulder, twining his arms around Kaiba’s chest and holding their bodies together. The soft fabric of Yuugi’s shirt was comfortable and warm against Kaiba’s skin. 

He wrapped his own arms around Yuugi’s thin frame and angled one so that he could tangle his fingers in the thick, messy mane of hair that started near the bottom of Yuugi’s neck. 

“I don’t want to leave.” Yuugi said softly.

“Then don’t.” Kaiba answered.

“What do you do in your school?” Kaiba asked.

“Mm, I’m hoping to design games.” Yuugi said, “My grandpa owns a Game Shop, and I basically was raised on puzzles and stuff, so they’re really important to me.”

“What kind of games?”

They both watched Kaiba’s tail arch towards the sky. From the angle he was laying at, his fins covered the moon. Then, he dropped it into an oncoming wave, splashing both of them with droplets of salty water.

Yuugi sneezed and then answered, “Oh, all kinds, honestly. I really love puzzles, though. It’s just fun to get my brain working without having to be  _ smart _ .” He laughed softly.

Kaiba tilted his head in Yuugi’s direction. He blinked at the human a few times. “Tell me about them.”

He wanted to hear Yuugi talk.

“Well, there are lots of different kinds of puzzles.” Yuugi started. “There are flat ones, where you try to make a picture out of different pieces. There are 3D ones, which are harder to put together, but they’re basically solid objects. Basically it’s a bunch of different parts and you have to find out how they fit with each other. And then there are word puzzles, which I guess are just riddles.”

“A word puzzle. Interesting.” Kaiba said. He flicked his fins against Yuugi’s shin.

“Here, try one. “I am in the sea and in the sky. What am I?’”

Kaiba made a soft noise. What… the fuck did that mean? “You’re in the sea and the sky.” He answered bluntly, knowing it was wrong.   
“The colour blue.” Yuugi told him, grinning cheekily.

He stared, eyebrows slowly furrowing together as realization and then annoyance set in. He blinked, once, twice, three times. And then he splashed Yuugi again.

Yuugi laughed and covered his face to shield himself, “Hey! Don’t be a sore loser, Kaiba.”

“I’ll be what I want to be.” Kaiba flashed his fangs threateningly, though they both knew that he would  _ never _ hurt Yuugi.

“What do you do? If you don’t mind my asking, of course…”

Kaiba sighed and spread himself out on the sand. He stared up at the claw-shaped moon and blinking stars.

“I’m in charge of the North Pacific Ocean.” He said. “It’s… I don’t want to say  _ easy _ , but it’s not as stressful as some of the more populated kingdoms. I’m in charge of public relations and keeping order, as well as providing basic necessities for my kingdom.” He didn’t want to go into too much detail, but he trusted Yuugi, so he wasn’t exactly sure why he held his tongue so tightly.

“I’m sure it’s more stressful than I could handle. You’re such a hard worker, and so strong.” 

Yuugi laid down beside him and rested his head on his shoulder. Kaiba sighed and shifted so that his tail looped around one of Yuugi’s calves. 

“Perhaps, though I don’t enjoy the implication that you’re  _ not _ .”

Yuugi hummed and danced his fingers against Kaiba’s abdomen. His stomach twitched at the light touches, and Yuugi gave an amused little huff.

“Why do you say that?” Yuugi asked.

Kaiba turned to look at him. Their noses touched. “You’re resilient. You made something out of nothing. You took care of yourself even when you were so wildly out of your element that it should have been impossible.”

Yuugi went quiet, and his eyes grew slightly distant. After a few moments, he let out a slow breath. His strange, sweet taste rushed over Kaiba’s face.

“You really think so? All I did was…” He didn’t finish.

“I know so, Yuugi.” Kaiba told him confidently. “You’re very strong, very hardworking. You’re,” he tilted his head and pressed his lips against the corner of Yuugi’s slightly parted mouth, “incredible.”


	13. Thirteen

“Here, I brought you snacks.” Yuugi said once he arrived at the beach.

Kaiba’s eyebrows furrowed. He had not expected Yuugi to bring him food. Perhaps it was his version of a gift. Kaiba would not complain.

He coiled his tail beneath his body and made himself comfortable, resting his gaze on the human, who had brought his bag with him instead of leaving it on the drier sand like normal. He opened the pack and started pulling things out of it. There were two glass bottles and many loud plastic bags. Yuugi spread the  _ snacks _ out between them and offered him one of the bottles. Kaiba accepted it carefully and examined it. The liquid inside shifted as the bottle tilted. 

“How do I open this?” He asked. Part of him wanted to just figure it out himself, but he was certain he’d make a fool of himself.

“Oh, you just twist, like this.” Yuugi lifted the second bottle to demonstrate, and he easily removed the lid. “Do you need me to do it?”

“I’m fine, Yuugi.” Kaiba said, and removed the metal disc from his own bottle. 

He brought the snack to his nose and breathed in. It had that same sweet scent that Yuugi’s breath normally held. He must have these often. It was more bitter than it smelled, but was in no way unpleasant. In fact, it was very likely the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted.

“Well?”

Kaiba nodded slowly, “It’s… very different. Good different.”

Yuugi beamed at him, eyes bright. He sipped his own coffee, and his eyes slipped shut with a blissful hum. “I love this stuff.”

Yuugi shifted closer, and Kaiba reached out to wrap an arm around his shoulders. The human leaned into it, and Kaiba gave a soft smile. They sat together quietly, tasting their drinks until Yuugi put his lid back on and set the bottle aside. 

“I also brought chips and cookies.” Yuugi said cheerfully. “Chips first, so we don’t get overloaded on sugar.” 

He peeled open one of the plastic containers and offered it to Kaiba, who hesitantly reached into the bag and pulled out a dry, flat object. It was thin and round, and was delicate between his fingers. Yuugi popped a couple into his mouth and crunched down on them. Carefully, Kaiba did the same. 

This, too, was very different from his normal food. It was dry, of course, and crispy. There was a strange taste to it, almost but not quite reminiscent of seaweed. There was a thin layer of salt, which he was used to, but it was in microscopic crystals instead of water.

“Interesting.” Kaiba murmured, and he took another one.

The final snack was small packages of dry, crunchy, lumpy food. They smelled sweet, and when Kaiba bit into one, he crunched through the outer shell and was met with a squishy substance that flooded his tongue with a heavy sugary taste. They were good, but they were overwhelming. He didn’t take another one of those, but did his best to express his thanks all the same.

“They’re… sweet.” He managed. “Very sweet.”

“You don’t have stuff like this often, do you?” Yuugi commented.

“Never, actually.” Kaiba said. He shrugged and took another chip.

Yuugi grinned, “I’ll bring you lots of stuff. You can try everything.”

Kaiba blinked slowly at him, and the corners of his lips quirked up in a smile. “Alright, Yuugi. I’d like that.”

Yuugi nudged him and ate a few more of the too-sweet cookies. He pushed his bare feet into the sand beneath Kaiba’s tail. Kaiba could just barely feel him wiggling his toes in the wet dirt.

He reached up and carefully scratched his fingers through Yuugi’s soft, fluffy hair. Yuugi gave a pleased sigh and rested his head on Kaiba’s shoulder.

“I wish we could be like this forever.”

“So do I.” Kaiba murmured.

He received another sigh, though this one was less content and more stuttered. Yuugi took a deep breath, lifting his head and straightening his spine. Kaiba glanced at him, worried. Could he not breathe? 

After a few moments, Yuugi relaxed. He glanced shyly up at Kaiba through his long, dark coloured eyelashes. “Sorry… I got real messed up before you saved me.” His voice was low and awkward.

“What do you mean?” Kaiba asked quietly, dreading the answer.

“W-well… When you fall off a big ship like the one I was one, you normally…” He rubbed his arm. “Normally, you don’t make it. The water is like a rock because you’re so high up. I must have landed perfectly, because I got real banged up, but I lived…” He flushed, pale cheeks growing pink.

Kaiba thought about the patchy skin on the human when they’d first met. Most of him was pink from the sun, but the parts that weren’t were blue and black and purple. He’d assumed it was a pigmentation issue. Many merfolk had discoloured skin, and the colour of Yuugi’s hair was strikingly similar to that of the marks on his body.

Had he just been severely wounded? And Kaiba hadn’t noticed, let alone tried to help?

He felt… disgusted. And disgusting. 

Without thinking, Kaiba reached over and lifted Yuugi’s shirt. The skin that was revealed was the same colour as the rest of him. No blues, no purples. Just a mostly-smooth plane of beige that was marred only by the curves of his ribcage and a small indentation near the middle of his abdomen. 

He let Yuugi’s shirt drop.

“You were hurt?” He asked softly. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“It’s okay, really!” Yuugi said quickly. “You’d done so much for me already. I would have frozen to death or drowned or something. You saved my life, you gave me food and water. You’d already given me so much, it would be wrong to ask for more, you know?” The flush on his cheeks had grown darker and slowly started overtaking his face.

“I’m sorry.” Kaiba said. “Don’t ever hesitate to ask for something if you need it, okay?” He wasn’t sure if he  _ had _ anything that might be useful to Yuugi, but he would offer anyway.

“All I need right now is your time.” Yuugi said.

Kaiba crawled forward and wrapped his arms around Yuugi’s small shoulders. His tail coiled again, this time twining around Yuugi’s waist. He pulled the other man closer and inhaled.

“Of course, Yuugi. You have  _ all _ of my time.”

Kaiba was in the treasury when the message came for him. Isono was in the entranceway with an unfamiliar mermaid at his side. The woman waited for him to put back the gems he’d been gathering and then followed him back to his throne. 

He settled himself on the sponge and narrowed his eyes, “Speak.”

She raised her head, and Kaiba watched her gills flutter as she took a breath. “The Kingdom of Kemet requests council with you, King Seto.” She bowed low after speaking.

“When?” Kaiba asked, bored already.

“Now.” She answered.

Kaiba sighed harshly, blowing bubbles out through his nose. “Fine.”

He followed the mermaid out of the room and into the open ocean, instructing Isono with a look to take care of business while he was away. The merman gave a singular nod, and then Kaiba looked away. He flicked his tail powerfully and sped ahead of the messenger. She was smaller, and struggled a bit to keep up. It was petty, but he couldn’t help but feel a bitter sort of satisfaction.

After quite some time, the golden kingdom came into view. It was much closer to the surface than his own, and they’d been in contact with humans many years after the rest of the merfolk had stopped associating with those on land. As such, they had a different architectural style. 

That was to say; they actually had a style at all. Most merfolk lived in caves, either that they dug themselves or that were natural. It was easier, though less flashy. Kaiba could appreciate the shiny aesthetic of it all, but the upkeep must have been atrocious. 

And this was just the royal building. There must have been hundreds if not thousands of dwellings surrounding the central kingdom. Kaiba was glad not to deal with so many citizens, though he didn’t exactly have a royal council that could make his decisions for him.

There were pros and cons to every way of living.

He was led through the main hallway until he reached what he presumed was the opposite side of the castle. There were many branching halls, but they stayed steadily on track until they reached a grand room that was full of many jewel-adorned merfolk. All eyes turned to greet Kaiba and his escort.

“King Seto.” The man on the throne flashed his shiny fangs in a smile. He did not rise from his gilded seat.

Kaiba could not imagine forcing himself into such an uncomfortable position, but he made no comment other than to greet the other man. “Pharaoh Atem.”

He dragged his gaze up and down quickly, getting a look at the other king. He was small, smaller even than the rest of the surrounding merfolk. His black and red hair floated up around his head in an eerie mimic of Yuugi’s. They even had the same blonde bangs, though some of Pharaoh Atem’s escaped the confines of his crown and joined the messy locks in sticking up in their crazy manner.

His tail was stark black aside from the crimson accents that started at the tips of each fin and faded as they grew closer to his body. His eyes were the same colour; An otherworldly ruby that shimmered with amusement upon meeting Kaiba’s own gaze.

“Why have I been called upon?” Kaiba asked.

“It has come to our attention,” Pharaoh Atem said, “that you have been fraternizing with land folk.” His voice was deep for someone so small. It was almost intimidating, but Kaiba reminded himself that he didn’t care.

“... _ And _ ?”

“And these activities  _ must _ cease.” A voice to his left spoke. Kaiba turned to lock eyes with an older merman. The man had narrow eyes that were a red-brown colour. His tail matched Pharaoh Atem’s nearly exactly. This must have been his father, or, at the very least, they were related.

“And why must they?” Kaiba said. He bared his teeth, annoyed that they were even  _ trying _ to tell him what to do. His kingdom was in perfect condition, he was a fucking war hero, and nobody was in danger. They had  _ no _ right. “I am in charge of myself. You may think yourselves better than the rest of the ocean, but you are most certainly not the rulers of it. Keep to your own business, and I’ll keep to mine.”

“Seto.” Pharaoh Atem said calmly. “We have heard about your little rescue endeavor. It’s admirable, truly, but it should have started and ended with bringing the human to shore. It puts  _ all _ of us in danger for a human to know of us. Swear them to secrecy and then never contact them again. It’s for the best.”

Kaiba flicked his tail once and found himself towering over Pharaoh Atem. He bared his fangs, wishing they would drip with venom the way his words did. “I’ll say again,  _ Atem _ , mind your business. When I deem it necessary to cut off contact, I will. You have no reason nor right to tell me what to do. There is nothing to fear except the consequences of continuing to run your mouth. Yuugi is no threat to us, least of all to you,  _ Pharaoh. _ ”

Atem did not flinch. He merely blinked, slow and bored. And then he spoke. “King Seto, I am not making a suggestion. Unless you intend to start a war between our peoples, you will never see this human again. For your own good, it might be better to never see  _ any _ human again. Return to your kingdom now, and I might leave it in one piece.” Then, he turned to his left and lazily waved a hand. “Escort him out.”

Two heavy-set guards swam to either side of Kaiba and grabbed each of his arms. They powered through the water, dragging him with them until he was in the open ocean again. 

He headed home with an armful of stolen jewelry, blood under his nails and on his teeth, and no fucking idea what to do next.


	14. Fourteen

Oh fuck, Yuugi felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. Every time he made this trip, he was exactly as excited as the week before. 

He clung to the straps of his backpack and marched across the sand, headed for the shore where Kaiba would be waiting for him. Normally, the merman gave off a faint, blue-coloured glow, but tonight there was no beacon. Yuugi figured he was going to the bathroom or something. He settled down near the water and tugged his shoes off to bury his toes in the sand. 

While he waited, Yuugi pulled a plastic bag out of his backpack and put his shoes into it so they wouldn’t get sand on the rest of his belongings. He looked through his snacks for a bit before pulling out a banana and the package of orange slices he’d prepared. 

Merpeople didn’t have fruit underwater, right? Kaiba probably hadn’t even seen these before. Hopefully he’d enjoy them, though.

Yuugi gazed out at the ocean and felt his nerves calm down as the waves rocked soothingly. The sand was cool, comforting after his walk, and the air was salty and damp. Exactly as the beach should be, he decided.

The only problem now was that Kaiba was missing. He would be there soon, but it was different than normal, and Yuugi felt slightly anxious. Normally  _ he _ arrived second.

He shook his head. There was no point in worrying. If Kaiba was going to be absent, he would have said something, right?

There was no point in worrying.

Yuugi peeled his banana and took a bite.

He shuffled a bit.

What was taking so long?   
No, it was fine. It had been only a few minutes. Kaiba would be here soon, and Yuugi would see that he was just being stupid.

He finished his banana and grabbed his phone to pass the time while he waited.

Kaiba didn’t show up.

Yuugi locked himself in his room and curled up under his blanket. He stared at the slight pattern he could see where the light shone through the fabric and clutched at the necklace Kaiba had given him. 

Had he done something? Was Kaiba mad?

He would have said something if he was upset, right?

Was he  _ okay _ ?

What if he’d gotten hurt? Oh, that would be terrible!

Yuugi wondered if it was his fault.

It probably wasn’t, but he had so many questions and no answers, and he was panicking. He wanted to ask Ryou, but he didn’t want to annoy the other man. Ryou was busy with his own life, and besides, they’d seen each other yesterday.

He’d just sulk for a while.

He knew he was overreacting. Kaiba was in charge of a whole kingdom. It was impressive that they’d managed to meet up as often as they had so far. Yuugi wouldn’t be surprised if their meetings became less frequent. He was surprised, though, that it had been so perfect for so long.

He curled his fingers around the polished glass and buried his face in his pillow. 

Kaiba would be there next week, right? It was fine.

Just one week.

He had homework to catch up on, anyway. Yuugi sniffled and then sat up. He wiped his eyes and blinked away the last of his tears, few though they were. Then, he got out of his bed and marched over to his desk.

He’d spent so long obsessing over Kaiba that he’d neglected the rest of his life. He figured he’d do some homework (and finish it all before the week was up) for a while and then visit his family. Then, tomorrow, he’d spend time with Jounouchi and Honda, both of whom he hadn’t seen for some time now. All three of them were busy with their own lives, yes, but that was no excuse for him to ignore them.

Yes, today he’d spend time with his family, and tomorrow was for his friends. He was sure Jounouchi had the day off, anyway.

Now if only he could figure out this question…

Jounouchi’s arms were tight around his neck, but they were only there for a moment before his friend released him. Yuugi grinned and squeezed around Jou’s waist with equal force. Then, it was Honda’s turn for a hug. 

His larger friend picked him up and spun him around. “It’s been too long, man! I know you weren’t spending all that time doing homework, what have you been up to?”

Yuugi flushed. He toed the ground a bit before answering, “Um… I made some friends, well,  _ a _ friend, cuz he… Found me, I guess? On the. The, um. Yeah.” He glanced up and met two pairs of concerned and confused brown eyes. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re making friends.” Honda said. He smiled softly, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah! I’m great, well. Mostly. Just… stressed from school and from the shop, you know?”

Jounouchi wrapped an arm around his shoulders, “Well we’re here to relax ya! Come on, I’ll buy ya lunch.”

“And I’ll buy  _ you _ lunch.” Yuugi offered.

Jounouchi laughed, “Sounds good to me, Yuug.”

The three of them headed towards a pizza shop, which happened to be one of Jounouchi’s favourite restaurants. The pizza there was delicious, too, so Yuugi had no complaints.

They seated themselves and placed their orders. Yuugi leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, and listened interestedly as Honda spoke about the stray dog that had started visiting his mother’s mechanics shop. It was clearly a stray, though it was very friendly. Honda was working on convincing his parents to let him adopt it. He showed them a few pictures, and Yuugi gushed over its adorable, floppy ears.

“Look at it! That little nose, those feet! Oh, Honda, I hope you can keep it.” He said, grinning.

“I’m sure Mom won’t say no.” He smiled back. “I just hope Blankey likes it.”

“Aw, she’s a teddy bear. That pup’s as good as yours.” Jounouchi said. He nudged Honda in the ribs playfully.

Their pizzas arrived, and Jounouchi was quick to inhale a few slices of his. Then, he stole one from Honda, knowing his friend would return the favour. Yuugi was more slow with his own food. He’d gotten a smaller pizza than his friends, and normally he’d be eating just as rabidly, but his stomach had been in knots since he’d returned home from the beach.

He shook his head. Today was a happy day. He was with his friends eating amazing food, and later they’d go play some arcade games and just enjoy each other’s company. There was no time to be disappointed about Kaiba.

“What’s up, Yuug?” Jou asked, noticing the movement.

“Huh? Oh. Just thinking.” He grinned reassuringly and took a bite of his lunch. “Nothin’ to worry about.”

“Alright, man. Just let us know.”

Honda gave a small smile, and Jou gave a big one. His cheeks were stuffed with food.

He swallowed after a moment. “Hey, tell us about your new friend! What’s he like?”

Yuugi blushed again, and the pink in his cheeks caused his friends to  _ “Ooh!” _ teasingly at him. That, of course, embarrassed him more, until Honda and Jounouchi were laughing and Yuugi could barely speak.

“Is he your  _ boyfriend _ ?” Jou taunted.

“No!” Yuugi said. “My boyfriend is K-” His eyes grew wide, and his friends fell silent.

Honda and Jou looked at each other, jaws dropped and glee spreading across their faces.

“Yuugi’s got a boyfriend.” Jounouchi said cheerfully.

“Our little man is growing up.” Honda added, wiping fake tears from his eyes. “Well, who’s the lucky guy?”

Yuugi glared at the table, cursing himself mentally for exposing himself.

…

Were they even boyfriends…?

... _ So _ not the issue at hand.

“I shouldn’t have said anything, s-sorry.” He said, blushing more, if that was possible. “I want to tell you, but I don’t think  _ he’d _ want me to… you know? Fuck.”

Honda nodded understandingly while Jounouchi sulkily bit into another slice of pizza. Yuugi sighed and buried his face in his arms. He’d made everything awkward with just a couple words.

“Hey, man, it’s alright!” Honda reassured him.

Jounouchi coughed nervously, “It’s cool, dude. Really. When you guys are comfortable, you’ll say somethin. I didn’t mean to pressure you or nothin.”

Yuugi poked at his food and said nothing. He felt silly. Of course his friends had not meant to be rude at all, but it was still… awkward.

And would he ever be ‘comfortable’ telling them about Kaiba? They were  _ human _ , and he was supposed to keep his mouth  _ shut _ . They were his friends, and he trusted them, but… this was a very big secret to keep, and Jounouchi had never been great with secrets. There was always a chance he’d accidentally say something revealing, even if it was an accident.

No, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to tell. He wondered if his friends would understand. He hoped they would.

“My friend’s name is Ryou. He lives here in Domino, but he’s not  _ super _ close to us, you know?”


	15. Fifteen

  
  


Homework. Help with the shop. Homework. Help with the shop. Visit his friends. Homework. Help with the shop.

It was so repetitive. Yuugi wanted his excitement back.

He missed Kaiba so much that getting out of bed was  _ excruciating _ . His chest ached every moment of every day. 

He’d gone to the beach the first few weeks, but being alone had become more heartbreaking than he could handle, and eventually he gave up.

He wondered if Kaiba was ever coming back.

He wondered what he had done wrong.

Ryou hadn’t said anything. He wasn’t saying anything, even when Yuugi asked. He would just get uncomfortable and look away and rub his arm and change the subject. Yuugi  _ hated _ it. He just wanted to know. He just wanted to fix things.

It was Wednesday, now. Wednesday was Ryou’s day to visit the beach. He would be there soon, Yuugi had no doubt.

He felt bad about invading his friend’s privacy, but he _ had to know _ . He needed to learn why Kaiba had left, if only for some  _ closure _ .

He hid behind a rock and waited for Ryou to arrive. The moon was bright overhead, nearly full. He would be able to see his friend easily, though the same was not true for himself. He had only to wait.

Even if waiting was the hard part.

It didn’t take long. Soft crunching against the sand had Yuugi peering out from behind his rock, and Ryou was there. His long hair was done up in a bun, which Yuugi hadn’t quite expected, but it was probably to keep it dry. 

He stayed crouched as Ryou made himself comfortable near the water. He put a blanket down before sitting, and Yuugi felt rather stupid for not thinking of that before. A slight glow told him that Ryou was on his phone. His mer-friend had not arrived yet. Yuugi would wait until they had. That was who he  _ really  _ wanted to speak with, anyway.

He did his best to remember what he could about Ryou’s friend, but all that came to mind was that Kaiba wasn’t fond of him. That didn’t help very much.

He showed up fairly quickly. Ryou’s phone slightly illuminated him, but Yuugi was slightly startled by his appearance all the same. He’d nearly forgotten that glowing fins weren’t a very common thing. Ryou’s friend was dark, too. His tail melted into the backdrop of night, and he was mostly invisible save for a mess of long, dark silver hair.

Yuugi crept forward, eyes on Ryou and his friend. He did his best to stay hidden, but he was noticed nearly as soon as the merman stopped poking at Ryou’s bun.

The merman bared his long, impressive fangs and rose on his tail like a snake might. He hissed a warning in a language Yuugi didn’t understand or recognize, and Ryou’s head whipped around. Yuugi felt trapped, like a deer in headlights and the car wasn’t slowing down.

“Yuugi?” Ryou called, and there was surprise in his voice. Anger, too. “What are you doing here?”

Yuugi felt shame rush through him. He’d known invading the precious little time they had together was the wrong thing to do, but he was here, anyway, and they’d already seen him. It wasn’t like he could leave and pretend he’d never been here. All he could do was face the consequences and pray that Ryou’s friend could help.

The merman spoke again, lowering into an aggressive crouch as he did. Yuugi could see dangers spike rising from his spine in the light of Ryou’s phone. He still didn’t know what language it was, but Ryou responded easily.

Yuugi moved closer, keeping his head down as low as it could go without losing sight of the merman near his friend. “I’m sorry, Ryou. I really am.” He said as soon as he was near them.

Ryou sighed heavily and rubbed at his temples. 

“What’s he want?” The merman said in Japanese, tongue wrapping awkwardly around the words. He stared at Yuugi with a frown.

Ryou turned back to his friend and started speaking quite rapidly, probably explaining Yuugi’s predicament. He thought he heard the word  _ Kaiba _ , but there was a chance that he was so desperate for anything he could get that his mind was making things up. He sat awkwardly in the sand as the other two talked back and forth. The merman said something that just  _ felt _ rude and let out a guffaw, and Ryou’s tone turned scolding. His friend’s face softened a little at whatever Ryou had replied with, but not by much.

Yuugi hugged his knees and stared at the sand. It was white under the moon, reflecting the brightness just barely and shining beneath his shoes. It was pretty. It was always so pretty.

It would have been much nicer if Kaiba had been there instead of these two.

After some time, Ryou spoke again in Japanese, though his attention was still on the merman. Yuugi looked up, wondering what had been said. He’d recognized the words but had been too distracted to retain them.

The merman was looking at him. Now that he was closer, he could see that his eyes were purple. Maybe it was the light from Ryou’s phone, but they were more pale than his own were. They were pretty.

“I will talk to the silly king, little tiny human. Go home. Leave. Bye.”

He snickered when Ryou slapped his arm. “That is  _ not _ what I told you to say!” Ryou turned to Yuugi, then, “I’m sorry, Yuugi. I didn’t know what to say, before, even after I found out what happened. It’s… I’ll explain later, and Bakura will do his best underwater, alright?”

Yuugi nodded furiously, cheeks burning and eyes stinging for so many reasons, some of which he didn’t even  _ know _ .

“Thank you, Ryou. Really, thank you.”

This was more than he could ever ask for. This was more than he  _ should have _ asked for.

He was not proud of himself. He really wasn’t. He’d been thinking it over and… god, he felt so bad about interrupting Ryou’s time with his friend. His own problems should have been second to the wellbeing of his friends. 

Yuugi made Ryou some apology muffins and danishes and made them as pretty and neat as he could in a little basket. It had been a few days, and Yuugi hadn’t heard anything from his friend since Wednesday aside from a  _ “Can you come over tonight?” _ text he’d gotten a few hours ago. He’d frantically made the treats, not even bothering to answer as his brain panicked and told him that the only way Ryou would ever forgive him was if he brought a present.

That wasn’t true, of course. Ryou was his friend, even if he’d been rude. They were going to talk about things. The pastries were just a bonus.

The train ride was, as usual, boring. He kept a careful eye on Ryou’s gift. It was covered with a cute little piece of fabric, and the whole thing was really just perfect. It almost looked like he was offering a romantic present. 

He had to hold in a laugh at that.

_ I sure hope Jounouchi and Honda don’t see me.  _

Of course, as soon as he stepped onto the proper walkway, who else would he have ended up bumping into? What were they even  _ doing _ here?

“Yuugi!” Honda said, sounding just as surprised as Yuugi felt. “Hey, man!”

“Ooh, Yuugi’s got a date.” Jounouchi teased.

“I do not!”

Jou tugged at one of Yuugi’s bangs, laughing when Yuugi swatted him away. “Sure, that’s why you’re bringing a cute little present to someone, isn’t it?”

Yuugi flushed. “I bring you presents all the time.” He reminded his friend. “Are  _ we _ dating?”

An arm wrapped around his shoulders, and he collided with Jounouchi’s chest. “What a rude question to ask ya boyfriend, Yuug.”

He allowed himself to laugh. His friends were… so dumb sometimes.

“Of course, my apologies, dearest Katsuya.” He rose on the tips of his toes and kissed the other man’s cheek.

“Dang, Yuug, save it for the bedroom.” Jounouchi gave a fake shiver.

“These look like ‘I’m sorry’ snacks, Yuugi. What did you do?” Honda dropped the corner of his fabric covering and stood up from where he’d been crouched.

Yuugi looked away as his friend quirked an eyebrow at him. “I interrupted him during an  _ actual _ date, and I feel bad about it. Well, I don’t know if it was, like, a date-date, but it was a private meeting, and I-”

“Ay, man, it’s alright! I’m sure ya don’t even need to go to all this trouble.” Jounouchi pinched one of his cheeks playfully, and Yuugi rubbed the spot when he let go. “All’a your friends should know that you’re the sweetest dude around.”

Yuugi blushed again at the undeserved praise. “Thank you, Jounouchi. I really should get going. It was weird bumping into you.” 

He stuck his tongue out, received a hug from each of them, and then hurried towards Ryou’s apartment building. Hopefully, they hadn’t found their meeting -and especially his sudden departure- too strange.

When he reached Ryou’s apartment, Yuugi knocked on the door a few times and called out for his friend. “Ryou, I’m here.”

The door opened, and he tried a smile. He got one back, but it was slightly tense. Yuugi hoped it wasn’t his fault.

“I brought presents…?”


	16. Sixteen

  
  


Ryou was… stressed, almost. He tapped his fingers on the table and chewed on one of his knuckles and picked at a muffin and then went back to tapping his fingers. He seemed very restless. Neither of them had said a word after Yuugi had entered.

Yuugi’s back was stiff. His shoulders were straight and he felt like he was about to be punished for something even though Ryou was a lovely person and a lovelier friend. He had nothing to fear. Of course he didn’t.

Finally, Ryou spoke. 

“Kaiba… got in trouble.” He said.

_ Fuck _ .

Yuugi’s panic must have shown on his face, because Ryou was quick to reassure him, “He’s okay! He’s, like, safe, it’s just that Bakura’s kingdom didn’t like Kaiba seeing you, because you’re human and all. But he’s okay.”

That didn’t help much. “...Bakura?”

Ryou laughed awkwardly, “Uh, yeah, it was weird for us, too. The merman you saw me with… his name is Bakura. It means something different to him, I think, but it’s pronounced pretty much the same. It’s weird… but it’s kind of cool, right?”

Yuugi couldn’t exactly argue that. The thought of meeting a merperson for the first time and then that person having your same name despite the language barrier… What were the odds?

“Anyway…” Ryou pinched off a piece of muffin and popped it into his mouth. “Kaiba’s okay, and Bakura’s talking to him, or… he will soon? I don’t know what goes on under there. But Kaiba didn’t leave you willingly, and knowing him -not that I really  _ do _ know him, but, like, you do- he’s definitely doing everything he can to come back, right?”

Yuugi gave him a small smile. “Thank you, Ryou. Sorry for… uh. Everything? I appreciate everything you’re doing. You… You’re a really good friend.” He sighed and looked at the table. Tapped his fingers against the wood.

“Yuugi… It’s okay. I mean, I can’t possibly  _ understand _ what you’re going through, but I know that it must suck. I couldn’t fathom losing Bakura out of nowhere…” Ryou sighed back. “It’ll be okay. Yeah?” He reached over and patted the back of Yuugi’s hand. “Kaiba cares about you a lot, and Bakura’s out of his mind. Together, they’ll fix things.”

“Thanks, Ryou.” Yuugi looked up and smiled again. “Are the snacks okay?”

“Oh! They’re amazing, thank you!” 

Ryou took another bite of his muffin to prove it.

“Okay good, because I poisoned them.” Yuugi said.

Ryou smirked. “That’s what makes them tasty.”

“Cheers?” Yuugi took a muffin out of the basket, and they bumped their treats together before each taking a bite.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.” Ryou said after a moment. “Bakura told me something had happened, and you were… quiet, but I didn’t say anything. I should have.”

Yuugi shrugged, “What could you have said? It’s okay. I don’t blame you, I couldn’t possibly blame you.”

They shared another smile and went back to quietly nibbling on the pastries Yuugi had brought. 

_ Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday. _

Ryou said Saturday. Three days from Wednesday. When the moon was at its peak. At the beach. Kaiba. Kaiba. 

Oh, Kaiba.

Yuugi didn’t think he’d be able to make it. It was Thursday morning, and god, it felt like Saturday was an eternity away. Ryou’s text had filled him with so much nervous energy that he’d managed to clean his entire room in less than an hour. 

He was trying to do homework, but it was terrible to look at. All of the words were slipping together, and he couldn’t remember what he’d just read even though he’d read it probably three times now. 

Maybe he should clean his room. No, he’d just done that. Dang.

Yuugi closed his eyes and tried to calm down. There was no point in being anxious; Saturday would come at the same pace. (This did not help him relax.)

He tapped his fingers against the table rapidly, almost like typing but there was no keyboard nearby. Jeez, waiting  _ sucked _ . How had he gone so long the first time? How had he gone  _ even longer _ the second time? He needed Kaiba  _ now _ . 

He left his room and headed for the family room, grabbing a puzzle with a few thousand pieces. If he wasn’t going to manage his homework, he figured he could at least occupy his hands. He turned on some music and cleared a space on the table.

He finished 16 puzzles in two days.

His usual train to Ryou’s house left in just under an hour. He quickly packed away the snacks he’d made for Kaiba. (Muffins again, because they weren’t too sweet and cupcakes were too messy, anyway.) He’d share some with Ryou, of course, but he wanted at least a few for his… boyfriend? They were boyfriends, right?

He didn’t want to think about that. It was complicated. The important thing was that he was seeing Kaiba in a few hours.

Yuugi added a few oranges and bananas to his bag because he hadn’t gotten to share them last time. He double checked the pack, making sure everything he needed was there (it was), and then rushed out of his house, yelling out a  _ Bye! _ to his grandfather that felt like it might have gotten blown away with the wind.

He did his best to not sprint to the station, though part of him wanted to. Walking didn’t quite help with his buzzing nerves, but it made him slightly less restless, so he took it as a win. 

Even though he wasn’t running, Yuugi made it to his train with 15 minutes to spare. He spent the time on tumblr, wasting time even if he looked up every five seconds to see if the clock had changed yet.

The ride was the same as it always was; Boring and long. He wanted to be at Ryou’s already. He wanted to be at the beach. He wanted to be with Kaiba.

His ribs hurt. He was so anxious about it all. Damn. Damn.

After what felt like an eternity, he was finally able to get off of the train and speed-walk to Ryou’s. Again he wanted to run, but the pavement was quite crowded, so he couldn’t. How disappointing. Not that running would make the time pass any faster.

He tapped on Ryou’s door a few times when he reached his friend’s apartment, and the door opened nearly immediately.

“Hey.” Ryou said, sounding breathless.

“Hi.” Yuugi answered.

“I’ve been freaking out since I sent that text.”

“Yeah, me too.” 

Yuugi dropped himself directly onto his friend, who laughed and stumbled slightly under his weight.

“You think you can handle Smash right now?” Ryou asked.

“Think you can handle losing?” Yuugi countered.

He was so jittery that he managed to beat Ryou’s character without taking any damage  _ eight times _ . He only lost four games. Ryou was a good sport about the whole thing.

They took a quick break at the convenience store near the beach to buy some coffee for Kaiba and a tea for Ryou. After making their purchases, they tucked the drinks carefully into Yuugi’s backpack, and then Yuugi passed the bag to his friend and sprinted down the beach. He could hear Ryou laughing at him, at his excitement or at the fact that the sand nearly tripped him multiple times, Yuugi wasn’t sure. He didn’t care either way.

He slipped through the fence and hurried towards the ocean. The moon was waning, but it was still decently bright. It was enough that he could see, and that was all he needed.

He tugged his shoes and socks off and carried them in one hand as he met more solid sand. His feet were assaulted by the foam of a cold wave. 

“Kaiba, are you here?” Yuugi called. He wondered if the merman would even be able to hear him from under the water.

He looked over his shoulder to see Ryou’s progress, but his friend was too far away for Yuugi to make out, so he looked back at the ocean. Still nothing, though there was a faint glow on the water. A reflection of the moon, or…?

He walked a little further out, until his ankles were submerged. Where was he? Had Bakura meant next week? Had he gotten in trouble again?

Yuugi cracked the knuckles of his empty hand and stepped back until he was met with drier sand. There was a splash as he occupied himself with that, and he immediately looked up as a dark form slithered onto the beach. 

It wasn’t Kaiba.

Their tail was black and red, Yuugi almost thought it was Bakura, but as he moved closer and was able to make out more of their features, he realized that that wasn’t quite right, either.

“Hello.” He greeted nervously, crouching on the sand to be polite and to get a closer look.

He almost screamed. He was staring at himself.


	17. Seventeen

  
  


Yuugi fell over, sitting down with a bit of a painful thump. He was more than a little terrified at the violet-blonde-black hair that so matched his own, but it  _ wasn’t _ himself he was looking at. The merman had sharper eyes, darker skin, and, well, he was a merman. Yuugi was not a merman.

“Hello.” He said again, though it was slightly more strangled this time.

He looked back at the ocean when he heard a second splash, and Kaiba’s glowing form crawled out of the water. The other merman said something Yuugi couldn’t understand. (Well, he assumed he was speaking, even if it was a bit… whistle-y.)

Kaiba responded by smacking him in the back of the head.

The new merman showed his fangs threateningly, and Kaiba did the same, but they were interrupted from their apparent fight by a strange gurgling noise. Bakura joined them on the beach and coughed before bursting into laughter. He slapped his tail against the water, coating all three of them in an icy spray. Yuugi squeaked, and Kaiba let out a string of curses in various languages. They were definitely curses, because he sounded  _ mad _ . 

He hissed at Bakura, hissed again at the other merman, and then slithered across the beach and wound his entire body around Yuugi.

“Hello.”

“...Hi?” Yuugi pressed his forehead against Kaiba’s and blinked at him. “Why did you hit him?”

Kaiba scoffed quietly, “He said ‘If you like me that much, you should have said something,’ because you look similar. He’s stupid.”

Yuugi reached up and stroked his fingers gently against Kaiba’s cheek. The merman’s eyelids fluttered. He leaned against Yuugi’s hand and whispered the word  _ “Fuck. _ ” 

“I missed you so much.” Yuugi said softly.

Kaiba shifted and nuzzled his nose into Yuugi’s hair. He didn’t say anything, but his actions did.  _ I missed you, too _ . 

“Oh  _ shit _ .” Ryou’s voice said. 

Yuugi wanted to ignore him, but he turned his head towards his friend, anyway. “Everything okay, Ryou?”

Ryou’s attention was on Bakura. He said something in a language Yuugi didn’t know, and Bakura answered, sounding casual and bored.

“Tiny King… That’s so insulting... I’m gonna start using it.” Kaiba whispered, mostly to himself. 

“Who is that?” Yuugi asked. 

“Some punk who thinks he controls the whole ocean.” Kaiba answered. “ _ The Pharaoh _ .” His tone was mocking. 

“I can hear you.” The Pharaoh called.

“I  _ know _ .”

Yuugi glanced over Kaiba’s shoulder and looked at the other merman. He got caught staring, but received only a quirked eyebrow. He slowly lowered himself to hide from those strange eyes. They were… red! And they were glowing! So creepy.

The same strange noises from before came from the Pharaoh. A growl rumbled in Kaiba’s chest. He didn’t unwind himself, but he did turn to face the other merman and respond.

Yuugi looked across the beach and found Ryou and Bakura sitting in the darkness together. They were illuminated by Ryou’s phone, and they were watching him. (Well, him and Kaiba and the other merman.) Bakura leaned over and whispered in Ryou’s ear. Yuugi wondered what they were talking about, but the sound of something dragging in the sand caught his attention.

“You. Are insufferable.” The Pharaoh said once he joined them. He glanced at his tail and flicked away some dirt.

“I am.” Kaiba answered, sounding proud. 

“Human.” The merman said stiffly.

“H-hello.” Yuugi offered.

Kaiba scoffed. “His name is Yuugi, not  _ Human _ . Shall I start calling you Fish?”

The other merman showed his teeth. “Hold your tongue, Seto, or I’ll take it.”

Kaiba hissed and twisted towards the Pharaoh. Yuugi let out a squeak as he was dragged along.

“Let’s not fight, please!”

Kaiba went still, glaring at the other merman for a while. He glanced at Yuugi, and Yuugi blinked back. 

Yuugi squirmed a little bit. “Can I go grab my bag?” Then, more quietly, “Will you be good?”

“If I must.” Kaiba sighed and unwrapped his tail from around Yuugi’s waist.

Yuugi hurried over to Ryou and Bakura. He crouched beside his friend and sighed.

“Alright?” Ryou asked softly.

“I’m afraid they’re gonna try and kill each other! I wasn’t expecting any Pharaohs to be here… Gosh, I don’t even know how to act around royalty…” Yuugi shook his head and started digging through his backpack. He pulled out the container of muffins and handed a few to Ryou.

Bakura snatched one from him and spoke quickly before shoving the muffin into his mouth. Yuugi wondered what language it was.

“He says King Atem isn’t very kingly unless there’s a crowd. I guess that means you should be okay? Okay as in… Kaiba won’t get in trouble again? Um… maybe?” Ryou sounded as confused as Yuugi was.

Even so, Yuugi was glad to hear it. It  _ seemed _ to be a positive thing. “Thank you.”

Yuugi took the rest of his things back to where Kaiba and the Pharaoh were settled. They were arguing again, and only spared him a glance when he started unrolling a blanket, which he spread out in the sand and then sat on. 

“Kaiba, I made you snacks.” Yuugi said. He turned his attention to the other merman. “I’m afraid there’s not very many, but if you’d like some, too…”

He put the container of muffins on the blanket, trying to put it within reach of both mermen, and then went back to digging through his bag. Kaiba reached over and took one of the pastries. He looked at it curiously, tilting it in one direction and tilting his head in the other.

“If you don’t want it, you don’t have to eat it.” Yuugi said. He arranged the fruit and bottled coffee on the blanket as well.

Kaiba glared at him for a second before taking a bite of the muffin. He took his time tasting it, but eventually swallowed and offered Yuugi a tiny smile. Yuugi sighed at the sight of it. Kaiba was… so very pretty.

“I have, uh, other stuff. Fruit and more coffee. You liked the coffee, right?”

Kaiba grabbed one of the bottles and opened it quickly. “Thank you, Yuugi.” 

“What is around your neck?” The Pharaoh spoke up. “Your jewelry.”

Yuugi blinked at him, wondering how to answer. If he said that Kaiba gave it to him… would Kaiba get in trouble? He glanced at the larger merman, asking for help because he didn’t know what to do.

“He got it from me.” Kaiba said. He picked up a banana and examined it before setting it back down. “Thank you for bringing it up. Yuugi, I have more for you.”

Yuugi felt his face grow hot. “Oh? You didn’t have to…” He curled his fingers around the smooth glass of his necklace.

Kaiba removed something from his wrist and reached over to slip it onto Yuugi’s arm. When he moved away, Yuugi turned on the flashlight of his phone. It was… gorgeous. The bracelet was a pale silvery colour and it was adorned with small, shiny blue gemstones.

“Oh, Kaiba, I can’t take this.” Yuugi whispered. It was _too_ _much_. It was probably worth more than his house and Grandpa’s business! “I love it, it’s so beautiful, but… I’m not sure I can accept something so valuable. Y-you know? Like… This is… Oh…” He could barely process his thoughts. The light made the jewels sparkle in such a lovely way…

“I want you to have it.” Kaiba said softly.

The Pharaoh crawled closer. His red eyes were locked on the bracelet with a terrifying intensity. “King Seto, must you be so dramatic all the time? No offense to  _ Yuugi _ , but is this human really worth your royal status?”


	18. Eighteen

  
  


“Kaiba, what the fuck does that mean?” Yuugi tried to take the bracelet off, panicking at the Pharaoh’s words. “Does this mean you stop being a king? Take it back, you can’t-!”

Kaiba closed a hand around Yuugi’s wrist. “Atem, have you yourself not offered your own regalia to court someone?”

Atem… Was that his name?  _ Pharaoh _ was a bit weird, Yuugi supposed, but it didn’t really matter.

“ _ King _ Atem.” The merman corrected.

“Tiny King Atem.” 

Atem hissed and launched himself at Kaiba. Yuugi instinctively reached up and grabbed his arm, barely catching it before his claws made contact with Kaiba’s skin. Everyone froze. Yuugi stared at the razor-sharp nails that had been  _ so fucking close _ to hurting someone.

Kaiba grabbed Atem’s arm and wrenched it out of Yuugi’s hands. He flung the other merman back and curled around Yuugi again, hissing and spitting and making the weird whistling noises that made up their language. 

Yuugi vaguely realized that someone had knocked over Kaiba’s coffee. He frowned as it seeped into the blanket. How gross. 

He reached over and righted the bottle. 

A cool arm wrapped around him, and his back bumped against Kaiba’s chest. He ran one finger against the skin of Kaiba’s arm. It was smooth and so pale. Very similar in colour to the bracelet…

Why would Kaiba give him something like this? And if Atem meant what Yuugi thought he did… There was  _ no _ way he could accept this. It was… wrong!

“Stop fighting.” Yuugi said. His voice sounded far away. “Please.”

Kaiba hissed again before looking at Yuugi, “Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“I’m fine. I just don’t want anyone to fight.” Yuugi twisted the jewelry around his wrist.

His chest felt so tight. Gosh, this was stressful…

No, wait, that was the other kind of tight. The kind that meant he was about to lose the ability to breathe. Uh, frick. He wiggled, trying to get Kaiba to unwrap his long tail, but Kaiba held him closer.

“Hey, I’m sorry. Don’t leave.” 

“Let go.” Yuugi said, and slowly, Kaiba did.

Yuugi crawled onto the blanket and clutched at the fabric as his body was seized with pain. His entire rib cage ached, and his lungs were  _ empty _ . It only lasted for a few moments, but it was terrifying, and as soon as he could breathe again, he was racked with a violent coughing fit. 

Kaiba hovered nearby. Yuugi could feel his anxiety. 

It was fine.

It would go away soon.

“Did I kill him? I didn’t mean to.” Atem said.

“Shut  _ up _ . Are you simply incapable of minding your own business? Go home, leave us be!” Kaiba said.

Finally, Yuugi found the ability to take a satisfying breath. He took a few more, waiting for his chest to stop trembling, and then sighed. “Fuck, that sucks so bad.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Ryou asked. 

Yuugi looked at him, blinking in surprise. He hadn’t heard him come over. 

“I’m okay, thank you.”

He flushed, thoroughly embarrassed, and sat up. Ryou gently patted his shoulder and then scampered off. 

Kaiba reached out, offering his hand, and Yuugi quickly took the bracelet off and gave it back.

“I wanted your-”

“I know.” The merman huffed. He didn’t close his fingers around the metal band. “I can’t accept that, I’m sorry. If it means you have to give up everything else, I can’t take it.”

“It  _ doesn’t _ mean that.” Kaiba told him. “But if it did, I’d give it to you anyway.”

Atem cleared his throat. “Seto is right, he may keep his role as the Northern King. I was simply not expecting him to so brazenly offer such an important piece of jewelry to you.”

“Take it.” Kaiba whispered.

Yuugi allowed him to close the bracelet around his wrist again.

“Sorry to ask,” he said softly, “I have no doubts that it  _ is _ important, I just…”

“My mother gave it to me. It’s custom for royalty to make special jewelry for their children.” Yuugi could see a blush rising high on Kaiba’s cheeks. “It is custom, also, to offer it to… the person you’re looking… to court.”

Court? That meant, like… Well, maybe not  _ marry _ , but- Close, right? Kaiba wanted to…?

Atem whispered something that Yuugi couldn’t understand, and Kaiba snapped at him, “Yes, you should have stayed home. There was never any question that this would be a personal reunion. Idiot.”

Atem shifted so he could smack Kaiba with his tail, and Kaiba responded by trying to claw at the feathery fins at the base of it. Yuugi gently took his arm and stopped him.

“Are you… sure?” He didn’t want Kaiba making any silly mistakes. He didn’t want Kaiba trapping himself in something.

Kaiba’s large hand cupped his cheek. “Of course I am, Yuugi… I… am loath to admit it, but I was…  _ crushed _ without you. I couldn’t function. I needed you. I need you.”

Yuugi held the hand that was on his face and stared into Kaiba’s deep eyes. There were flecks of lighter blue in them. Glowing flecks. Kaiba’s eyes  _ glowed _ . He was gorgeous. He was fucking  _ ethereal _ .

“I love you.”

Kaiba kissed him, then. Softly, like he was savoring it. Maybe he was. It had been forever.

There was a sort of chittering sound, and, in the distance, Bakura cackled and then let out a few obnoxious chirps of his own.

“I will  _ cannibalize _ you.” Kaiba snarled.

Atem smacked him again with his tail. “It’s the truth, is it not?”

“We have not-” Kaiba stuttered for a moment before baring his teeth, “Go get tangled in something.”

“I just might. Well, in any case, I suppose you’re serious about this.” Atem sighed and straightened himself, sitting on his tail. “Yuugi, there would be serious repercussions if you were to say anything about our existence. Keep that in mind. Seto cannot protect you from a law his ancestors put in place.”

“I won’t tell.” Yuugi promised quietly.

“I believe you. As for you, Seto, I will discuss this with my council. I am on your side, but I cannot guarantee anything.”

“Well I  _ can _ . If you try to separate us again, I will separate your heads from your bodies.”

“ _ Kaiba _ .” Yuugi scolded. He lightly punched Kaiba’s arm.

Kaiba huffed and said nothing more. Atem spoke instead. “I will… keep that in mind, I suppose. It would do you well to stop making threats to your superior.”

“You are  _ not _ -” Kaiba’s growl dissolved into a mixture of chatters and whistles, and eventually he settled for slashing at Atem with his claws again.

“You are so violent!” Yuugi said, grabbing his arms. “This is unnecessary!”

Atem chuckled softly. “Be well, Yuugi. And Seto, may you get your tail caught in a discarded net.”

He laughed again and hurried to the water. Kaiba moved to follow him, but he must have decided it wasn’t worth it because he settled back down and draped part of his tail over Yuugi’s legs.

“Insufferable.”

Yuugi leaned over and rested his forehead on Kaiba’s shoulder. “I missed you.”

“Yuugi, I… You cannot begin to understand how awful being away from you was. Or, perhaps you can, but know that it was  _ terrible _ .”

“Oh yeah?” Yuugi smiled, “I invaded Bakura and Ryou’s private time even though I had no idea what they might have been doing.”

“ _ I _ caught a whale and brought it to the wrong continent.” Kaiba smirked.

“I spent, like, $200 on muffin mix.”

“My little brother stabbed me and I didn’t notice for a week.”

Yuugi laughed and shook his head, “I thought of you every moment, waking or otherwise.”

“Well, that’s something we can agree on…”

Yuugi kissed the part of Kaiba’s collarbone that he could reach and then leaned away to grab his bag. He dug through it for a bit before producing the woven bracelet he’d spent weeks trying to make. 

“It’s not quite so extravagant, but I have something for you, too.” He said softly, offering band to the merman.

Kaiba took it from him carefully and examined it. There were different shades of thick blue and silver threads woven together, and Yuugi had added tiny marbles of similar colours to it. 

“It’s gorgeous, Yuugi.” Kaiba said softly.

It was loose on his thin arms, but it looked like it belonged on him.

“I love you.” Yuugi said again.

“I would empty the oceans for you.” Kaiba answered.

Yuugi shoved him. “It’s not a competition!”

Kaiba wrapped his arms around Yuugi’s torso and kissed his forehead. “Fine. But if it was, I’d win.”

Yuugi bit his jaw. “Nuh uh. I love you enough to, uh… Um…  _ Fuck _ .”

Kaiba laughed, “See? You can’t even think of anything.”

“Sorry, I’m just  _ so _ blinded by my love for you. It makes it hard to think, because then I’d have to push you aside, and I can’t bear to do that.” Yuugi giggled and kissed Kaiba’s mouth gently. “Did I mention that I love you?”

“Once or twice.” Kaiba whispered. “But tell me again.”


End file.
